Intergenerational Relationships: A Long-Term Health Plan
Presenter: Colleen Beach, MSW, LSW
Live on Zoom
Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, 12–2:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
CE: 2 General (must be present for the entire lecture to earn credits)
Ageism is a pervasive issue in American culture and beyond. Its ubiquitous influence renders it almost invisible, thus slowly affecting our own health and that of others throughout our lifespans. Research supports that ageism intervention activities that include education and intergenerational interaction are a more beneficial combination than either one alone. This emphasis on both has the potential to have an enduring long-term positive impact on the lives of the people targeted for these interventions and may serve as a protective factor for health and well-being across the lifespan. Due to our obligation to uphold social work values and ethical principles, social workers are uniquely positioned to combat ageism with education and intervene at multiple levels professionally and personally to integrate intergenerational connections and relationships into our environments. Join us to explore together the detrimental impacts of ageism and an age segregated society, as well as the mutually beneficial impacts of intergenerational interaction and education on ageism. Let’s collaborate to create a workable plan we can use to facilitate intergenerational connections and relationships to enhance our health and well-being and that of the people we serve.
- Participants will be able to identify ageism as an impediment to health and well-being across the lifespan and an underlying barrier to intergenerational connections and relationships.
- Participants will be able to recall populations that have been identified as benefiting from ageism intervention activities that focus on education and intergenerational interaction.
- Participants will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the difference between intergenerational relationship building and isolated intergenerational activities.
Participants will be able to use the information provided to identify at least one opportunity for intergenerational interactions or connections in their environments.
Presenter Bio
Colleen Beach, MSW, LSW, is a specialist professor at the School of Social Work, Monmouth University, and graduate of Monmouth University with a Master of Social Work degree with an International and Community Development specialization. On campus, she has been the faculty advisor for Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society, an active member and chair of several committees at the school and at the university level, and is a member of the Program for Gender and Intersectionality Studies and faculty union, FAMCO. Her areas of scholarly interest include social justice and human rights with a focus on elder justice, gender-based violence, intergenerational relationship building, social determinants of health, and anti-oppressive social work practice. She has personal passions for planetary health, photography, and the intersection of the arts with health and well-being.
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