The Department of Long-Term Care in the College of Nursing at Asia University, in order to deepen students’ practical understanding of care services, conducted an off-campus corporate visit and field teaching on December 17, 2024 (ROC Year 113/12/17). Led by Department Chair Dr. Huang Chien-hua, students visited the “Good Day Store” at the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Natural Science. In collaboration with PlayMe Active-Aging Toy Factory, the department jointly promoted an “intergenerational co-creation” activity. The event aimed to bring together young students and the mature/older generation; through interactive game experiences, participants could spark ideas and creativity in one another, putting into practice the concept of all-age learning and play.

For this visit, community partners aged 55 and above were specially invited. More than a dozen enthusiastic participants joined. Through a series of carefully designed board games, puzzle games, and activities, young students and older adults played together and interacted, working toward the goal of cross-generational inclusion. The games not only strengthened mutual rapport and friendships, but also inspired creative thinking and a spirit of cooperation and mutual support across different age groups.

Game-based interaction narrows the generational gap

The venue was lively and full of energy. Students and older partners were grouped to take part in various game experiences. With PlayMe’s wooden brain-teaser games, for example, participants had to use logical thinking, hand–eye coordination, and teamwork to complete challenges. This allowed younger participants to experience the wisdom and rich life experience of older adults through play, while older adults also felt vitality and enjoyment through interacting with the younger generation.

“All-age learning and play” promotes cross-age exchange

During the visit, students demonstrated strong initiative and enthusiasm, discussing game strategies with older partners, learning from one another, and offering support. This “intergenerational co-creation” model not only enhanced older adults’ sense of social participation, but also helped students realize that long-term care is not limited to professional knowledge—it equally requires emotional connection, respect, and empathy.

Department Chair Dr. Huang Chien-hua noted that this activity was an important hands-on opportunity to learn about care services. Through direct interaction with older adults, students could more deeply understand the communication skills and care ethics required in the long-term care field. Visiting the “Good Day Store” not only gave students practical learning experiences, but also allowed them to witness the positive value of intergenerational collaboration.

After the event, many students said they had gained a lot. Student Hou Zong-xuan shared, “From interacting with older adults, I learned how to listen patiently, and through the games I discovered that every generation can learn from each other.” Another student, Chiang Fang-yi, said that the visit helped her better understand older adults’ needs and gave her more confidence to engage in long-term care–related work in the future.

The “intergenerational co-creation” activity was not only a valuable cross-age learning experience, but also a heartfelt exchange that connected people. In the future, the Department of Long-Term Care at Asia University will continue to promote similar activities, striving to cultivate care professionals who combine expertise with empathy, and to advance the vision of an inclusive society for all ages.

Photo captions:

• First-year faculty and students of Asia University’s Department of Long-Term Care took a group photo with community mature-age partners, staff from the Good Day Store, and personnel from The Doll’s House workshop.

• Left: a community mature-age partner; Right: student Tsai You-chen from the Department of Long-Term Care.

• Left: a community mature-age partner; Right: student Chiang Fang-yi from the Department of Long-Term Care.