Yolanda W. Page, president of Stillman College, was asked during a recent panel discussion at Stanford University to offer her wisdom on how to help older adults struggling with poverty, health problems and the loneliness that comes from isolation.
“I’m going to go biblical here on you … ‘love thy neighbor.’ Love thy neighbor as thyself is something I remember every day,” she said. “One way to show that love is empathy for the elderly in our community.”
“If we would all dedicate ourselves to taking care of our neighbors by fostering compassion and connection, we could address many, not all, but many of the issues that challenge the elderly,’’ she added.
Page, the eighth president of the historically Black private college in Tuscaloosa, Ala., was responding to the question posed during a panel discussion by Jean C. Accius, advocate for equity in healthcare, and CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities. Accius was a policy adviser on health issues of the elderly in the Obama Administration, and he received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 for superior volunteerism and community service.
Page and Accius spoke on “The University as an Intergenerational Hub’’ panel at the recent Century V Summit at the Stanford Center on Longevity. The two-day event focused on the challenges of ageism and the opportunities to create a positive intergenerational society.
Healthcare Access is a Challenge
Accius said that one in five Americans lives in a rural area where there is shorter life expectancy compared with urban areas, due to lack of healthcare access and socioeconomic challenges. The increased closing of rural clinics for lack of money and staff has compounded the problem, Accius said.
Page added, “solutions to these problems are grounded in collaboration with and community engagement in three areas: transportation, housing and food security.’’ As president of Stillman since 2023, she has gotten the college involved in helping the Tuscaloosa community.
Located about 60 miles southwest of Birmingham, Tuscaloosa County has a poverty rate of 19.2% out of about 237,000 residents, according to 2023 U.S. Census figures. The county is considered urban but has large rural areas. Fifty-five out of 67 counties in Alabama are rural, and about 42% of all state residents live in rural areas, according to the Alabama Public Health Department.
Page said Stillman College is involved in helping create mobile health clinics, to be equipped with health care professionals who will visit Tuscaloosa’s rural residents. It’s also working on setting up a transportation network for rural residents to get to doctor’s appointments and clinic visits.
“First, it’s important residents know about options like telehealth. That hasn’t taken off in rural areas because of a lack of connectivity,” said Page. “But if we can create partnerships with ride services, that will help with disparities in health care access.’’
Housing and Food Considerations
Help in finding, keeping and maintaining safe and affordable housing for rural residents is another goal of Page’s.
Additional Reading: Getting Into Housing Takes a Village — And a Lot of Luck
“In thinking about the cold weather that we’re having, we know some of these houses need weatherizing. Some houses need rehabbing to get rid of mold and mildew to make their homes safer and healthier,’’ she said. [Mold and mildew can be problems in expensive homes, too.]
Page said that in rural areas community gardens could be a source of food for poor and elderly residents lacking money or transportation for shopping.
“Community gardens would allow citizens to come and harvest the greens, as well as vegetables. For people who can’t drive, mobile markets could be a very important source of food,’’ she said. [Again, this can be helpful to elderly Americans of all means, to help them maintain their independence and good health.]
A Multigenerational Effort
Under Page’s leadership, Stillman College is partnering with communities across the state to stimulate workforce development in public health and healthcare professions.
“The majority of our students come from rural areas of Alabama and Mississippi. Many choose to stay in Tuscaloosa or go to more urban areas, but we are encouraging them to return to their communities, to be advocates, to be leaders, to help citizens in those communities. This is where they can make more of a difference,’’ she said.
As an incentive to return to their communities, Page envisions Stillman offering scholarships, mentorships and training that are tailored for working in rural areas with poor and elderly residents.
Stillman College also created a storytelling program that brings together students and older adults to talk about their experiences, culture and family traditions.
“Ultimately, the program fosters mutual respect and companionship. It allows the students to develop empathy and communication skills and it creates a deeper understanding of history and society,’’ she said.
Accius said he has a 14-year-old whose cellphone conversations are indecipherable to him.
“So, I love hearing that the generations come together through living testimony at the storytelling time. It’s critically important for us to find ways like that to connect,’’ he said.
A Glimpse at Utopia
Accius asked Page to describe her ideal future of healthcare in Alabama.
Her reply: “I’ll be idealistic and imagine a Utopia that would have accessibility equity and a holistic approach to wellbeing, not just for older adults but whole communities. We’d be focused on proximity to providers, to make sure that older adults have primary care specialists nearby and access to emergency services.’’
Accius wondered how Page would break down barriers like ageism that separate the generations.
“Working through the community, we’d develop a hub to bring people of all ages together on joint projects. This could include community centers and places of higher learning like Stillman,” she said. “In areas that are more rural, it could be at a farm or an outdoor space where both younger and older generations feel comfortable. For instance, the older adults could share their experiences at a community garden and the younger could help with physical tasks,’’ she said.
Eleanor O’Sullivan is a writer for Rethinking65. In a four-decade career in journalism, she has reviewed many books on best practices for financial advisors.
