8:15-9:15 a.m

105-D. Tackling Loneliness and Ageism Online through the Arts

An online platform piloted in 2023 by the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Oxford, OH, is tackling the twin epidemics of loneliness and ageism by engaging older and younger people in meaningful conversations and creative activities. The Scripps Arts-based, Virtual, Intergenerational, and Dementia-Friendly (AVID) program has connected more than 80 intergenerational pairs by using engaging prompts to facilitate virtual conversations around the arts. This session will introduce you to ScrippsAVID, share findings from its pilot phase, and describe how the program is connecting students and people living with dementia in nursing homes and strengthening intergenerational programming in a tribal community. Presenters will demonstrate the free video-chat platform and invite you to participate in a sample activity.

• Meghan Young, Associate Director, OMA, Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University
• Krysta Peterson, Assistant Director, Opening Minds through Art (OMA), Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University