| Abstract: | ABSTRACT The traditional way of caring for frail elders in long-term care facilities is based in the medical model. This type of care focuses primarily on the biological needs of individual elders. A new paradigm for these care facilities is seen in the idea of culture change. This paradigm implicitly has within it elements of compassion emphasized in the teachings of world religions. The focus of this article is on the thoughts of Hesston College students in a World Religions class who spent two hours a week during the spring term 2003 interacting with frail elders in a long-term care facility. These intergenerational interactions are analyzed from the perspective of six world religions. The article concludes with reference to culture change and intergenerational relationships as related to practitioners, policy makers, and researchers. |
