Living Environments Aging Partnership (LEAP) is an intergenerational service learning effort involving several courses and spanning a variety of disciplines, but united by a focus on environmental interventions aimed at improving the quality of life among local elders. We conceptualize the “environment” to include indoor and outdoor environments as well as to range from micro details to larger settings. Interventions might include the ergonomic redesign of an apparatus for older adults (e.g., wheelchair; garden trowel); modification of a kitchen in a CCRC or elder community; design of clothing to meet the needs of older individuals with arthritis; architectural programming of facilities planned for renovation; creation of gardens to facilitate intergenerational interaction; and more. Key partners in these efforts are emeritus professors from several disciplines and departments along with retired, independent older adults and residents of local facilities.
