Lincoln East grad helps high school students interact with elderly

"With that, I was able to see lots of communication between these people that were 70 years apart in age, which was heartwarming to see," Benson said." 

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Elise Benson has always found it easy to interact with older people. Her mom is a speech therapist at a Lancaster County Rehab facility.

So when she had the opportunity to apply for the Girls Scouts of America “Gold Award,” she didn’t waste any time.

She put in several hours of work in order to create “Generations Connect,” a program that connects high school students with nursing home residents.

“I just felt really comfortable around older people and making conversation even though with that huge age gap,” Benson said. “I just wanted the residents to find a friend, especially if they don’t have family already here to visit.

“I wanted them to get a visitor, but I also wanted my high school classmates to gain communication skills and feel comfortable.”

So Elise got many of her classmates at Lincoln East to volunteer. They were able to set up game nights with residents at local nursing homes. They were even able to work around the pandemic, writing letters to residents, making notes in sidewalk chalk and Facetiming each other.

“With that, I was able to see lots of communication between these people that were 70 years apart in age, which was heartwarming to see,” Benson said.”

Elise, now a full-time freshman at UNL, no longer has control over “Generations Connect.” It was absorbed by the Key Club in Lincoln when she graduated from Lincoln East.

She says she’s a little sad she’s not as involved anymore, but she’s grateful for the experiences she had with her residents.

Categories: Nebraska News