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This presentation will discuss a University of Arizona Center on Aging project called THRIVE. Project THRIVE focused on how independent and assisted living facilities could ensure an emotionally safe, supportive, and inclusive environment. The project was funded by the American Seniors Housing Association and was done in partnership with Watermark Retirement Communities and Mather Life Ways.
Similar to senior centers and congregate meal sites, the communal living environment in these facilities opens the door to opportunities for older adults to develop new and rewarding social relationships and to engage in activities that promote personal growth and satisfaction. However, whenever groups of people of any age have close, frequent, and ongoing interactions with each other, there can be tension that may interrupt these opportunities.
When tension, microaggressions, and even bullying occurs in these settings, it can be especially hard for older adults who have the additional challenge of having to navigate aging-related conditions in a community where everyone is growing older differently and where each person may have different perceptions of their own aging as well as others around them.
Project THRIVE adapted successful public school-based interventions to optimize the quality of life of older adults and increase staff satisfaction through an intentional focus on culture change. We will discuss identification and implementation strategies that can be used in any communal setting to help build a safe, supportive, and inclusive culture.
Objectives:
- Identify socialization challenges older adults encounter in communal settings.
- Describe the evidence-based public-school program, Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS).
- Explain how to adapt evidence-based school strategies to communal settings to build a safe and inclusive culture.
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