During the prolonged pandemic shutdown, a Gwinnett County teenager found a way to break through the isolation and calm the fears of older adults.
Jean Yu of Peachtree Corners founded Mindful Companions and became a constant, compassionate virtual visitor with seniors when they needed it the most.
She held weekly Zoom concerts and mindfulness lessons for residents in senior living communities. Jean took their online music requests and learned new songs on her violin, such as “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain.”
She gave holiday-themed performances and showed nature photography that she took herself. Jean wanted to hear how their day went and to sing Happy Birthday to those celebrating another year’s passage.
“It was really meaningful to me just to see once you got started just how comfortable it was talking with the elderly and that they would share a lot about themselves and their experiences,” she said.
Credit: spe
Credit: spe
These intergenerational conversations have continued, now in person, and expanded to other states. Mindful Companions has served 65 senior communities across the United States through mindfulness and music. Mindfulness is the practice of calming the mind and being aware.
Jean, 18, now a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), continues to visit seniors and recently brought handmade Veterans Day cards for residents at the Hebrew Senior Life in Brookline, MA.
“It was such a wonderful experience for me since I had volunteered with this senior center virtually through the pandemic with my mindfulness sessions, but this was the first time I was visiting in person,” said Jean.
Back home, students at Jean’s former high school, the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, have taken leadership of Mindful Companions. Before leaving for college, Jean helped them host a seniors’ event with a music ensemble and arts and crafts.
“I’m very grateful. They’re all very responsible, and they’re very passionate about this,” said Jean of her team.
Mindful Companions evolved from a Girl Scout project during the pandemic when Jean’s troop gave handmade cards to give residents at A.G. Rhodes Assisted Living.
“I was surprised -- even doing these small things like making handmade cards -- at how important that was for the elderly, especially during the pandemic and isolation,” Jean said.
Credit: spe
Credit: spe
At the same time, she looked into how the pandemic affected seniors in assisted living and nursing homes, which brought more awareness of their difficulties. Jean also noticed how the isolation affected her grandmother in China.
When she shared her experiences about Mindful Companions, others wanted to start their own chapter. One friend she met in a summer camp is now organizing senior events in Arizona, focusing on mindfulness concepts and activities from Eastern culture.
Jean said she is excited to see how people are bringing their creative ideas to find better ways to serve seniors and build intergenerational connections.
“It’s really special how people still find time to do what they are passionate about,” she said.
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