​An intergenerational program at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW)—known as the Nursing Home Visitation Program—was the brainchild of Clifford O’Beirne, a former professor of psychology at UWW.

The program began nearly 34 years ago, he says, when some students asked him if they could visit a nursing facility to earn extra credit. “But then students began doing it just because they enjoyed it so much,” says O’Beirne.

It became so popular that UWW now has vans designated for the program to carry the students to and from eight different nursing facilities throughout the week. To say that the program has produced more than 175,000 visits to area nursing facilities is most likely an understatement, says O’Beirne, who is retired from teaching but still volunteers with the program.

“Students tell me all the time that they love going to the nursing homes; they don’t even care about the extra credit. It really is a miracle to see the students take time to do this,” he says.

Preparation for the visits takes place each semester when students meet with the nursing facilities’ activity directors to plan the activities, which range from games to arts and crafts. “We try to stay away from bingo and instead have activities that are more conducive to conversation between the resident and the student,” says O’Beirne.

“In many cases, the residents will be waiting for the students to arrive, but it differs by facility. Sometimes the students go directly up to the residents’ rooms to get them.”

The residents’ response to the program has been overwhelming, according to O’Beirne, who has heard nothing but positive feedback.

When he visits the nursing facilities during holiday breaks, when students have gone home, residents tell him they can’t wait for their students to come back. In fact, one resident tells his family not to visit him on Wednesday evenings because his “student comes on that day.”

“It really is a partnership between the program and the nursing homes,” O’Beirne says.
—Meg LaPorte