University of Colorado Anschutz program sparks friendship between pharmacy student and 94-year-old great grandma
A program at University of Colorado Anschutz is connecting its healthcare students with seniors to help prepare them for future interactions with older generations. It's unexpectedly proving age does not matter when it comes to friendships.
Jo Ann Bickham is part of the program called COAST-IT which stands for Connecting Older Adults to Students Through Interprofessional Telecare. She participates in bimonthly phone calls with a pharmacy student named Colton Hansen.
"He'll ask me things about way back in the 30s," said 94-year-old Bickham. "How did they do that? You know? And we, we learn from each other, and I can support him if he's had a bad test or a good test, or he's not feeling well, and all this sort of thing. And I don't know if we'll ever get to meet."
However, she added she thinks it would be 'pretty fun' if they could. What Bickham didn't know is that her tele pen pal was waiting to surprise her in person for the first time.
"You're even more handsome than I thought you would be!" Bickham exclaimed. "These are tears of happiness a little bit, oh, this is so nice to meet you!"
Hansen brought photos along with him, sharing a glimpse of what and who means the most to him.
"This is my wife and I," said Hansen as he showed a photo of a trip to Oregon.
"She looks a lot like one of my grandchildren," Bickham responded.
"I think some of them almost feel more like a job or an assignment, and it hasn't felt that way talking to you," said Hansen.
"It hasn't with me either," said Bickham. "I've told my kids about you. They all know your name."
"I'm a little famous, then," Hansen joked.
While the Anschutz program has been a success, there's a lot to learn from the friendship Hansen and Bickham have built. One that transcends generations.
"The biggest thing that I've really taken away from this is that there's a lot more that is similar between us than separates us," said Hansen.
"I'm just lucky, I guess here that I am able to do this, and I'll do it as long as I can," Bickham added.
