The superpower of intergenerational living | Derenda Schubert | TEDxMtHood

The Stanford University Center for Longevity reports that there are three key areas associated with long life - financial security, health and social connections. Many cultures around the world have already figured this out and live naturally in a three-generation setting establishing the cultural norms, sharing traditions and life experiences, and creating safety to the community. There is reciprocity among the generations – a web of support. A strong community fabric is created providing all generations with a sturdy foundation to weather life’s trials and tribulations, and to celebrate life. Living in age silos creates a barrier to transferring important cultural information across the generational lines, causes disconnection between community and children, and puts parents and elders at risk for social isolation. Derenda is an advocate for intergenerational living and share her story and work in this talk. A licensed psychologist with extensive professional experience in counseling children and families, Derenda has found herself creating, managing, and evaluating foster care and mental health programs in Chicago and Portland. Her passion is discovering intergenerational solutions to complex social challenges. To that end, Derenda now serves as Executive Director of Bridge Meadows, a unique, multigenerational community. At Bridge Meadows, adoptive parents, foster children, and seniors share a home built with love and in a vision of a better tomorrow. Under her leadership, Bridge Meadows has received recognition by the National Home Builders Association and the 2014 award for Intergenerational Excellence by the Eisner Foundation. Derenda’s passion for making the world a better place for children, families, and elders is inspired by her own children and the love of her grandmothers. Bridge Meadows shows how advancing the power of community can be transformative in the real world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx