Word: elderhostel
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...called “geriocracy,” which proctor Judith R. Dortz likened to an Elderhostel program, is mostly composed of experienced retirees recruited by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Final Examinations Office. Although most have some background in education, proctors come from varied walks of life...
Today there are a variety of intergenerational programs. Some of the newer Elderhostel programs offer a chance for adventure as well as bonding time. Wearing their skull-and-crossbones T shirts as they sailed, Al Hermann, 78, and his grandson Cameron Portratz, 13, spent a week in June aboard the schooner Zodiac. The hearty crew of 11 grandparents and 11 kids learned about the inner workings of the boat while sailing in the azure waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington. "Cameron and I polished brass, swabbed the decks, worked in the galley and helped raise sails," says Hermann...
...weekend away with Grandma or Grandpa is also a natural way to dispel stereotypes about aging. "Many kids today aren't around older people on a regular basis," says Cady Goldfield, a spokeswoman for Elderhostel, which offers almost 200 intergenerational summer programs. "To see Grandpa rappelling down a water tower or Grandma hiking up a mountain--better yet, to do it with them--is to see how vital and energetic the current population of grandparents is. It breaks all the rules for the traditional grandparent-grandchild interaction...
...outdoors. But it doesn't always work out that way exactly. Sometimes the older members learn new tricks too. "Our grandson Grant [Pollock], now 13, knew how to pitch a tent, and we didn't," says Richard Hansen, 75, who with wife Shirley attended the Hulbert Outdoor Center's Elderhostel canoeing program last year. "He was also the captain of the canoe. He taught us how to do things, and we weren't always the fastest learners. But the experience was wonderful...
Joann Branson, 73, a theology professor in Monterey, Calif., treasures the memory of her granddaughter Megan's helping her learn her part at the Elderhostel theater week in Worcester, Mass. Joann and her husband Jack, also 73, a retired naval aviator, took Megan, 10, who lives near them, along last July. The Elderhostel group put on a musical play. "When I saw I had a solo, I thought I would die!" Joann recalls. "I couldn't learn my words. Megan was up at 6 a.m. teaching me. It was beautiful when she said, 'Oh, Grandma...