“Generations Together” Wordfind

September 11 is National Grandparents Day. Give your brain a workout with this month’s puzzle, a reminder of the many ways people of every age can have meaningful contact.

It’s something that needs to be called out. People who wouldn’t dream of making a rude comment about a person’s race, sexual orientation or disability might nonetheless make disparaging remarks just because a person is older.

Studies show that ageism hurts everyone, not just older adults. Prejudice against seniors has been shown to raise stress, depression and even the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. And young people don’t get off scot free—several studies have shown that young people who harbor ageist attitudes are less likely to experience good health in their own old age.

How can we fight this pernicious attitude in our sometimes youth-centric culture? One way is through contact among the generations. Stereotypes melt when we look at people as individuals. A recent study  from the University of Kent in the UK provides a good suggestion on how we can “immunize” against ageism. First of all, say the researchers, young people who have older friends have a better attitude about older people … and, if they talk about these older friends, their peers, too, are less likely to hold negative and inaccurate beliefs about seniors.

So…seek out friendships with people of every age. And talk it up! If you’re a young person with older friends, let friends your age know how valuable it is to have connections with people of every age.

This month’s puzzle contains the names of 20 places where you’ll see people of every age interacting. Click here to download your copy of the puzzle.

Need a little help? Click here for the solution.

© 2016 IlluminAge Communication Partners