Assisted living and long-term care residents and staff members at Worthington Christian Village in suburban Columbus, OH, welcomed members of the Columbus Blue Jackets National Hockey League team Feb. 4 for a seated hockey game against preschool children from the nearby Kids Academy of Worthington.
The event at the not-for-profit retirement community was part of the team’s Hockey is for Everyone month. It began with a brief demonstration of basic hockey fundamentals and a “passing clinic” and continued with a performance of the national anthem and player introductions before the game.
The mission of the NHL’s Hockey is for Everyone initiative is to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities through the sport. In the spirit of this mission, the game is part of a new study at Ohio State University in which professors in the university’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences will investigate how an intergenerational program can change children’s perceptions of older adults as well as older adults’ health and sense of community.
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