Consortium Gerontology Studies Program Earns Community Leadership Award

At a gala fundraiser event at Mechanics Hall on April 30, the Age Center of Worcester Area, Inc. honored the Gerontology Studies Program of the Colleges of the Worcester Consortium with the Irving J. Yarock Award for exceptional community leadership in support of elders and their families.

The program's mission is to provide undergraduate students with a basic understanding of the spectrum of needs, concerns and issues facing the elderly population today and in the years to come.

Cooperating institutions include Holy Cross, Assumption, Clark, Worcester State and UMASS Medical.

Graduating only three students in 1980, the gerontology studies program has grown considerably during the last two decades. Today, there are 85 students enrolled and over 500 alumni of the program.

quot;By coming together, these five colleges have been able to offer their students a program of study that no one college alone could have offered as comprehensively or extensively as is being done through this cooperative effort," said Judy Ainlay, coordinator of the Consortium Gerontology Studies Program.

quot;Our unique program has held up as a model of academic cooperation across the consortium and in the national arena as well."

There are currently eight faculty members - representing each of the participating colleges - teaching gerontology curriculum courses. Holy Cross gerontology studies faculty members include Edward Thompson of the sociology and anthropology department, who also serves as the director of gerontology studies in the College's Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies, and Andrew Futterman of the psychology department.

In addition to classroom studies, learning is complemented by partnerships with over 25 community elder agencies that serve as volunteer and internship placement sites for gerontology studies students. The agencies offer a variety of opportunities for students interested in elder care, ranging from experience with nursing and social day care to education, planning, policy and research.

Senior Margherita (Maggie) Sarra has only good things to say about her on-site experiences. "My internships provided me with amazing learning experiences that helped me to really understand the types of issues elders deal with. These issues are going to be even more important as the population ages - and different industries are going to spring up to meet the needs of the baby boomers."

As a Holy Cross representative to the gerontology studies program, Maggie was involved in planning the 4th annual Intergenerational Dance, one of the most successful community elder events organized through the Consortium program. Held at the Holy Cross Ballroom last March, the Intergenerational Dance drew a crowd of over 250 Worcester elders and students. The evening included food, music and formal performances by the Holy Cross Ballroom Dance Club, the Assumption Irish Step Dancers, and dancers from Jo Ann Warren Studio in Worcester.

This year, Holy Cross will graduate four students with a gerontology concentration. They are Victoria Gordon*, Cheryl Jakielo*, Maggie Sarra and Jessica Trombley*.

The Age Center has been providing services for elders and their families since 1963. They are the oldest agency for the elderly in Worcester county. For additional information visit their Website.

For additional information on gerontology studies contact Judy Ainlay at 508.754.6829.



Intergenerational Dance photos are courtesy of Judy Ainlay.



*Signifies members of the National Gerontology Honor Society, Sigma Phi Omega.