As we know, aging is a life-long experience that is different for everyone. Join the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum on Saturday, April 14 at 1:00 PM to get in on the discussion “Just a Number: Aging and Intergenerational Friendship” with Jennifer Sasser and Simeon Dreyfuss. Sponsored by Oregon Humanities and the Pioneer Museum’s Daisy Fund, this program is free and opened to all ages.
While most of us agree that people of different generations have wisdom to offer those who are ahead of or behind them in life’s journey, barriers to connection often persist between generations. Many of these barriers are rooted in our ideas about age and aging. Where do these ideas come from, and how do they impede or encourage relationships across generational differences? How do we acknowledge both the universality of aging and the differences we experience? How do we create meaningful connections with others of different ages and life stages? These questions will be the focus of the program. TCPM encourages young people to come and give their opinions on the topic and to perhaps make new friendships.
Simeon Dreyfuss is a writer and independent interdisciplinary scholar. He was on the faculty of Marylhurst University for twenty-three years and now is an adjunct professor at Tillamook Bay Community College. His essays, stories, poems, scholarly articles, and journalistic publications have appeared widely. He is currently coeditor of Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies. Jenny Sasser is an educational gerontologist, transdisciplinary scholar, and community activist. She has worked in the field of gerontology for more than half her life, beginning as a nursing assistant and aging advocate before focusing on research, writing, and teaching. She is the author of Aging: Concepts and Controversies and of the forthcoming book Gerontology: The Basics.
Through the Conversation Project, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state’s future. For more information about this free community discussion, please contact the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum at 503.842.4553.
Oregon Humanities (921 SW Washington, Suite 150; Portland, OR 97205) connects Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. Oregon Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.
