Seniors come to SMILE, the Sister Maureen Intergenerational Learning Environment, now in its 10th year
By Lehia Apana, Hawaii Catholic Herald
Marian Shishido wakes up each weekday morning, eager to go to her “club” and visit with her friends Haruko and Elsie. “I love this place!” exclaims the elderly Shishido. Sitting next to her is Haruko Hirakawa, who nods silently in agreement while the third woman, Elsie Hirota adds, “Everyone at the club gets along so well.”
The “club” is the Sister Maureen Intergenerational Learning Environment (SMILE), a Franciscan adult day center located at the Manoa campus of the Sisters of St. Francis.
The program, a partnership of the Sisters of St. Francis and the St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii, provides a safe, sociable environment for the elderly, offering arts and crafts, exercise, balanced meals and intergenerational activities.
It is open Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is licensed for 35 participants.
SMILE opened in January 1996. It celebrated its 10th anniversary with an open house on June 25. On the cover of the light blue invitation is a simple seven-word sentence, a quote from the late Franciscan Sister Maureen Keleher: “No one person can do it alone.” This was the creed held by Sister Maureen, the farsighted Hawaii healthcare administrator who headed St. Francis Medical Center for 35 years.
Sister Maureen is the namesake and inspiration behind SMILE.
This straightforward saying is a core idea behind the program and serves as a constant reminder of its purpose.
Program director Alex Au explains it this way: day care for frail seniors has become a critical need in families whose younger generations go to work or school. The center seeks to help families keep their elderly loved ones at home and out of an institution, she said.
“It’s very difficult for families to provide all the care giving 24 hours a day, seven days a week without assistance. [Sister Maureen] was right — no one person can do it alone, so we try to provide some care during the day so that it’s easier for families.”
Au said of Sister Maureen, “She was a real visionary who was always very forward thinking about new solutions for things.”
Although Sister Maureen died one year before the center opened, she was involved with the initial planning. According to Au, Sister Maureen thought it beneficial for people at both ends of life’s spectrum be served together in an environment where they could learn from each other.
SMILE is the only adult day center located next to a school campus that provides occasional intergenerational activities. Nearby are the Blessed Marianne Cope preschool and St. Francis School (grades 6-12), which is starting an elementary division. While these activities are not performed on a daily basis, the preschoolers and SMILE seniors often come together for special occasions like birthdays or holidays. In addition, St. Francis School students and University of Hawaii students volunteer to entertain and serve the participants.
“For the seniors, they love the energy and vitality that children bring into the room,” Au said. “There’s a great synergy because the seniors just love the kids.”
The center tries to maintain an atmosphere of a social club rather than a clinical facility, and participants call the program their “club” or “school” rather than “day care.” Over half of the participants have some type of dementia, and others suffer from medical conditions that prevent them from staying home alone.
“Most seniors think they would never want to go to a program like this, and most families encounter resistance when they suggest it, but they quickly come to enjoy the sense of belonging and friendship they find here,” Au said.
Shishido, Hirakawa and Hirota gather around a table, beaming joyful smiles. This trio of friends agrees that this club is the best place for them. Shishido, the most vocal of the three, put it simply: “There’s no place I’d rather be.”