Vitalia Senior Residences at Westlake to Celebrate Back-to-School Season

At Vitalia Senior Residences at Westlake, we are always excited to celebrate the Back-to-School season! Partnering with local schools is typically a year-long effort, but there is a special focus on the time when most students are heading back to the classroom- whether in person or virtually. We have partnered with Westlake Elementary and Holly Lane Preschool. Our residents find it easy to relate to school outreach efforts as many of them can recall a time when they returned to school as well.

Fostering these relationships helps build a sense of community among students, teachers, residents, and staff. There are plenty of advantages to intergenerational activities- such as decreasing the social and economic isolation so many seniors feel. Research has shown that seniors’ health, memory, and balance can benefit from volunteering regularly with children. Not only do these relationships benefit the older generations, but also the younger ones as well. Studies have also shown that children who interact with elders are less likely than others to start illegal drug use, will more likely have improved communication with their parents, and are less likely to experience depression. Lastly, these experiences can create timeless memories for both the seniors and children involved, such as making a new friend, trying a new game or activity, or listening to stories of each other’s life.

We have a partnership with two local schools, Westlake Elementary and Holly Lane Preschool. We plan on having a school supply drive to help them start the year off right. Our plan is to collect supplies from families, visitors, and employees and then drop them off at the schools before classes start.

We will have a box in the Westlake lobby where people can drop off their donations. A list of suggested items will go out in our weekly memo, be posted on our Facebook page, as well as sent by memo to our residents’ loved ones. Some families just don’t have the budget to buy school supplies, especially if they have more than one school-aged child.

Vitalia Senior Residences at Westlake will continue to show their support in a lot of different ways this Back-to-School season and throughout the school year.