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Author, unknown. 2018. "Intergenerational Care And How It Beneifits All Australians." Care For Kids. November 14, 2018. https://www.careforkids.com.au/child-care-articles/article/664/intergenerational-care-and-how-it-benefits-all-australians

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Intergenerational care unites child care with aged care, and although this is a fledgling approach in Australia, a new Griffith University project is bringing preschoolers and seniors together to see how intergenerational care could play a greater role in our society.
What does the Griffith University project involve?
Called the Intergenerational Care Project, this Federally-funded initiative is all about providing purposeful activities to build relationships between the young and not-so-young, instil a sense of meaning, and bring about positive change in aged care.

The project connects children aged three to five with people aged 65 and older, who are living with and without dementia, to trial these two models of intergenerational care:

1. The Shared Campus Model: which involves child day care and aged day care centres sharing the same site, facilities and infrastructure, intergenerational care is delivered in a multi-function room that both age groups use, and

2. The Visiting Model: where the child day care and aged day care centres are located in different areas and either the children or the seniors are transported to the other centre for an hour of intergenerational activities each week.

This program is looking at the socio-economic costs and benefits of intergenerational care and is seeking to create an evidence-based education program; it's also considering how intergenerational care can positively affect the workforce. For instance, it may help aged care and child care workers to think about a career in the opposite sector.

In terms of the big picture, Griffith University Lecturer, Dr Katrina Radford explains that, 'Our overarching aim has always been to find a way for intergenerational care programs to be part of the normal social policy program in Australia, which is underpinned by a sustainable business model.'
With this in mind, what are the benefits of intergenerational care?
There are many positives that come with grandparents and grandchildren sharing time together, and outside the family unit, intergenerational care still has a lot to offer:

It provides opportunities for children to learn from and connect with an older generation

It improves youngsters' 'pro-social behaviours' of helping, sharing and cooperating

It gives older people a sense of purpose and improves their social outcomes

It changes community perceptions and helps us see seniors and the ageing process as something positive

When it comes to seeing older people with fresh eyes, and considering the long-term benefits for preschoolers, Dr Radford says, 'Intergenerational care programs begin to unpack the stereotypes surrounding people living with dementia and people over the age of 65 in general ... In addition, it may contribute to reducing juvenile delinquency and improving the social outcomes of some children by creating meaningful relationships with people living in the community.'
What are the next steps when it comes to intergenerational care?
The Intergenerational Care Project finishes this month and Griffith University will provide a full report in June 2019 and discuss intergenerational care policy with the Government.

2019 also brings an innovative partnership between Kalyra Woodcroft Aged Care and Southern Montessori School in Adelaide, where Council has approved the co-location of some middle school classrooms alongside an aged care home.

This is an Australian first, and Kalyra Communities CEO, Sara Blunt says everyone involved is very enthusiastic about the initiative.

'We are really excited that 35 students ... will occupy classrooms that are on the same site as our residential aged care accommodation [because] this partnership will give students a wonderful learning environment, and ample opportunity to engage with civic and community life ...

Our residents are very pleased to contribute to the life skills of the students and will benefit from lifelong learning, and new technology,' she said.

All in all, intergenerational care has much to offer Australians, whether they're preschoolers, middle schoolers, care workers or retirees.

For an international perspective on intergenerational care read our article here.

References:
Aged Care Guide: Project Hopes Children Could Prove Key in Creating Change in Aged Care Aged Care Guide: Intergenerational Redevelopment Gets the Go-ahead in SA

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Intergenerational care and how it benefits all Australians

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Intergenerational care unites child care with aged care, and although this is a fledgling approach in Australia, a new Griffith University project is bringing preschoolers and seniors together to see how intergenerational care could play a greater role in our society. What does the Griffith University project involve?

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10004850@portal.griffithcollege.edu.au

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The effectiveness of multi-sensory and creative activities as a bridge mechanism between young children and the elderly should be designed. So that young children and the elderly can participate in activities happily. To achieve the effect of communication and learning.

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Cortellesi, Giulia, and Margaret Kernan. “Together Old and Young: How Informal Contact between Young Children and Older People Can Lead to Intergenerational Solidarity.” Studia paedagogica. Accessed November 6, 2021. https://www.phil.muni.cz/journals/index.php/studia-paedagogica/article/view/1379.

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Old people are not as boring as we think. As long as we give the elderly a learning goal. Their lives are not boring and full of fun. When we are willing to communicate with the elderly, we can learn different definitions of death in life, Broaden our horizons and enjoy life optimistically and positively. This is the meaning of exchanging skills and experience.

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Intergenerational learning: exchanges between young and old | Jurriën Mentink | TEDxAmsterdamED

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This website provides 10 ideas on how to communicate with older people and how to understand them.In this way, we can use these resources to schedule courses efficiently. Children can learn how to communicate with older people.

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Healthy, two-way communication can help family members understand and interact with one another more effectively. Use these tips to improve communication with a senior.

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10003346@portal.griffithcollege.edu.au

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Intergenerational Learning: Exchanges between Young and Old. TEDxAmsterdamED, 2016. performances by

Jurriën Mentink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt58fu-TjWc.

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Sollitto, Marlo. “10 Tips for Communicating with a Senior.” AgingCare.com, April 29, 2020. https://www.agingcare.com/articles/communication-techniques-to-deal-with-elderly-parents-138454.htm.

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https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/the-preschool-inside-a-nursing-home/424827/

This source gives an example of how they have trialled an intergenerational care facility.
"Six times a week, teachers take their groups to the residential floors to visit the elders for anywhere from 20 minutes for the infants to 60 minutes for the older children. Residents are welcome to observe in the classrooms, and structured activities for the children and residents to participate in together are scheduled daily".
some of the residents may struggle with some of these interactions.

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For the elderly residents, interacting with the kids is a jolt back to the world of the living.

Giggles and the pitter patter of little feet echo through the halls of Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle-not exactly the sounds you'd expect to hear in a living-care community for older adults. Then again, "the Mount," as it's known, isn't your typical nursing home.

Five days a week, residents and staff share the 300,000 square-foot facility with up to 125 children, ages zero to five. These children and their teachers make up the Mount's Intergenerational Learning Center (ILC), a licensed nonprofit child-care center and preschool established on the Mount's premises in 1991.

The program was designed to counterbalance the loneliness and boredom that so often characterize life in a nursing facility. These challenges can be particularly evident in homes like the Mount, where the average age is 92 and residents are largely fragile, non-ambulatory, and in need of significant assistance. "We wanted a living, vibrant community; to make sure that this was a place where people came to live, not die," says Charlene Boyd, an administrator at the center. Bringing children in was a natural solution.

Numerous studies have linked social interaction with decreased loneliness, delayed mental decline, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of disease and death in elders. Socializing across generations has also been shown to increase the amount of smiling and conversation among older adults, according to one Japanese study from 2013.

While it's unclear what kind of impact such social interaction has on children, research suggests it may come with a variety of benefits for them as well. For example, kids who have early contact with older people are less likely to view them as incompetent-and simply exposing children to positive depictions of elders makes them less likely to exhibit ageism. These intergenerational interactions also enhance children's social and personal development. And, as many of the parents whose children attend the ILC will attest, the kids are prone to feel more comfortable around those with disabilities and impairments of all kinds than their peers who lack such experiences.

Integrating preschools and nursing homes isn't an established trend, and there appears to be no real tally of how many are in existence. But judging by the viral nature of videos and articles depicting these programs on social media, it's a movement many are eager to embrace. In 1976, a Japanese man named Shimada Masaharu combined the nursery school and home for the aged in Tokyo's Edogawa municipality under one roof. By 1998, Kotoen was one of 16 such joint facilities, according to the Tokyo Ministry for Health, Labour, and Welfare. The idea trickled over to North America around the same time, and today there are intergenerational centers for elders and young children across Japan, Canada, and the United States.

Humans are, and have always been, an intergenerational species. Still, to keep up with the demands of the culture and society of today, the responsibilities of child and elder care have, out of necessity, been outsourced to professionals. "We live in a culture, time, and place where creative people have to use creative means to accomplish something that was always the most ordinary, customary thing in the human experience: older people and younger people sharing their lives," says Bill Thomas, a doctor and international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare.
"You could immediately see that she had accessed some part of her brain that had raised several kids."
At the Mount, there are plenty of opportunities for intergenerational engagement between residents and the children. Six times a week, teachers take their groups to the residential floors to visit the elders for anywhere from 20 minutes for the infants to 60 minutes for the older children. Residents are welcome to observe in the classrooms, and structured activities for the children and residents to participate in together are scheduled daily. Because they share the same building, there are opportunities for spontaneous engagement, too-when inclement weather strikes, and the children must make do with the halls, lobby, and vacant rooms as their playground, for example. Or when an area musician comes around to play tunes for the children to sing and dance to along with the elders.

Of the families that send their children to the Mount, roughly 10 percent are employees and a large majority are from the West Seattle area. Thanks to support from the Mount and its parent organization, Providence Health & Services, the center is able to offer tuition assistance and a 20 percent discount to staff members. Parents are interested in the program largely due to its reputation. The teachers, who are required to have at least 15 college-credit hours in early childhood education and complete an annual senior-care training, are cited as the biggest draw.

"A huge foundational piece of what we do here is teach the children how to solve their own problems," says Marie Hoover, the director of the Intergenerational Learning Center. "We spend a lot of time with phrases like 'I see you both want the same ball. What are your ideas for how to solve this?' Then we work with the kids until they either come up with their own ideas or the teacher gives them some suggestions for working it out. We get a lot of positive feedback about that." It isn't until parents tour the facility that they take notice of the intergenerational component, according to Hoover, which only serves to get them more excited about the program. Last I checked, there were more than 400 families on the ILC's waitlist.

Meanwhile, for the residents, the intergenerational engagement is a jolt back to the world of the living. In fact, it was this dynamic that caught the attention of the Seattle-based filmmaker Evan Briggs in early 2012. "For a long time I had been wanting to make a film that explored the issue of aging in America," she says. "When I found out about this retirement home with a preschool inside of it, I felt that was a really beautiful and poignant way to frame some of the issues and themes I wanted to address." Present Perfect, the resulting documentary due out in 2017, explores what happens when human connection across generations is encouraged and facilitated.

In a clip from Briggs's documentary, a resident in a wheelchair with drooping jowls and stooped shoulders leans in close to a small boy to ask his name. "Max," the boy replies. "Oh, Mack," the gentleman says, leaning back in his chair. With admirable patience, particularly for one so small, the child states his name repeatedly, with increasing volume and ever more precise articulation, as the resident continues to get it wrong.

Another resident with advanced Alzheimer's whose speech was incomprehensible garble was able to speak in complete, fluid, and appropriate sentences the moment she was wheeled into the baby room. "You could immediately see that she had accessed some part of her brain that had raised several kids," Hoover says.

During interviews with staff members at the Mount, I asked how the children at the ILC tend to deal with the death of a resident. I was told that the children might notice a resident was missing and ask a few questions but typically demonstrate little significant emotional attachment.

For Thomas, the geriatrician, this raises questions about whether truly meaningful relationships are being developed through the ILC. "Say the kids are coming in to see the elders," he posits. "If one of the kids calls out the name of an elder and runs toward that elder with their arms outstretched, that's the next step." While Thomas applauds the efforts of the Mount and other institutions experimenting with these types of programs, he says more opportunities for meaningful engagement and reciprocity are needed to reach that next level.

The institutionalization and bureaucracy of care homes tend to limit their ability to create such opportunities, according to Matt Kaplan, a professor of intergenerational programs and aging at Pennsylvania State University. "In nursing homes, policies tend to be rigid," he explains. "How you spend your time, where you spend it-it's all being regulated." In other words, rather than forming organically, any relationships that develop do so within the framework set by the professionals.

And ultimately, just like Cinderella's enchanted transformation, the magic may only last for a fixed amount of time. "As beautiful as [a program like this is], they march those kids right out of there at [6 o'clock], and five minutes later, that elder who had just been brought to life is sitting slumped over in a chair by a nurse's station," Thomas says. "And that's the sad part of the story."

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For the elderly residents, the kids are a jolt back to the world of the living-and for the children, the experience is a bittersweet lesson on aging.

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https://www.proquest.com/docview/2529811220/FFB8A1F4D3414A4BPQ/1?accountid=14543

This source is useful because it talks about creating a space for playing and learning in the aged and health care.
"In recent years combining focused activities with intergenerational interaction has become a popular method of creating a socially stimulating environment with mutual benefit. For younger attendees, participation can aid the development of social skills and can influence more positive attitudes towards older adults. Benefits for older adults include developing social relationships, engagement in activities, and mood improvement".

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10006002@portal.griffithcollege.edu.au

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Studies have shown that activities that include children and older adults in a day care facility can increase self-esteem and promote friendships. In Japan, shared play activities have been found to result in greater smiles and more conversation for elders.
With just a few days in each others’ company resulted in some life affirming interactions, with both care staff and service users commenting on how beneficial the intergenerational project had been. But this was not just about helping elders: the children enjoyed the increased attention too, and had more opportunities to develop their social and emotional skills.

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We live in a society where care of young and old is increasingly segregated, with very limited opportunity for the two age groups to interact. If we just thought a little more socially, however, these "book end generations" could become great resources for each other - all we need to do is put them in the same place.

I recently took part in a S4C documentary, which introduced six nursery children to an adult day care facility. The older and younger generations spent three days together, taking part in a series of activities devised by a team of psychologists including myself here at Bangor University.

What we found was that just a few days in each others' company resulted in some life affirming interactions, with both care staff and service users commenting on how beneficial the intergenerational project had been. But this was not just about helping elders: the children enjoyed the increased attention too, and had more opportunities to develop their social and emotional skills.

Admittedly, this is just one three-day example. But there is plenty of research confirming that bringing generations together can and should be the way forward for care systems.

Shared care internationally

The concept of "non-familial intergenerational interactions" is centred around the seemingly simple idea that old and young can bring new energy, knowledge and enthusiasm to each others' lives. In the last 20 years or so this concept has been increasingly picked up - particularly in the US, where more and more shared care facilities are being opened.

Interaction between the generations is not as simple as putting a baby and toddlers' day care centre in a nursing home, however. It involves planned interactions between elders and college students, schoolchildren, or youngsters of other ages in a variety of settings.

What the groups do when they meet can be as relaxed as playing a game or reading a book together. But the activities they take part in are truly unlimited: in New Jersey an intergenerational orchestra brings together musicians aged between six and 90-years-old, for example. While in the Massachusetts town of Belmont, young and old work together on local environmental projects.

It may not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but research has proven that these interactions can have fantastic benefits for each generation. In Australia and the UK studies have shown that activities that include children and older adults in a day care facility can increase self-esteem and promote friendships. In Japan, shared play activities have been found to result in greater smiles and more conversation for elders.

There are other wider societal benefits of putting the two types of day care together too. Rent and staff costs can take up as much as 95% of expenditure at care facilities, but both are reduced when shared care is adopted. Savings like this could have huge benefits in countries like the UK where health care relies on public money.

Sadly, without someone in place to keep an intergenerational project moving forward, many end after two years. Investing in staff time, and ensuring the time young and old spend together is planned and appropriate for all ages is key to the care practice working. The two groups cannot just be left in a room together, the idea here is to build relationships, and help each person benefit from the enthusiasm, knowledge and attitudes of each other.

Valuing older people

In the 1950s, it was theorised that adults have a need to contribute to the next generation, and that doing so can give older people feelings of accomplishment or success, rather than stagnation, as they age. Intergenerational activities show elders that they are valued as individuals that still possess lifelong skills, rather than just being passive recipients of care.

After we filmed our documentary, one lady who attended the care facility told me that you don't think about your age when you are in the company of young children. The little ones brought a new sense of vibrancy and fun to the centre, and the focus was no longer on watching time pass but on living in the moment.

Older people have the time, and skills that are often underutilised, for this kind of care to work, so putting a shared care plan in place makes sense. But more research, funding, and government support is needed for these intergenerational schemes to become the world's default for care.

These days traditional families are separated by distance, time and lack of understanding between generations, but programmes that bring children and older adults together could change the whole of society's outlook. Children are the worlds' future but that doesn't mean we should consign older generations to the past.

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Combining daycare for children and elderly people benefits all generations

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We live in a society where care of young and old is increasingly segregated, with very limited opportunity for the two age groups to interact. If we just thought a little more socially, however, these "book end generations" could become great resources for each other - all we need to do is put them in the same place.

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The widespread implementation of intergenerational care programs has the potential to solve many of today’s economic challenges associated with child and aged care, while enhancing the educational and social benefits in encouraging relationship building between generations.

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What happens when you bring a group of older residents to mix with young children in childcare? Clapping hands and singing songs is just one way they spend the morning together. These interactions are made possible by intergenerational care programs that have gained popularity in Australia in recent years.

Intergenerational care programs provide older adults and children aged three to five with care and social support in the same setting, for short periods of time. This has mutual benefits.

The widespread implementation of intergenerational care programs has the potential to solve many of today's economic challenges associated with child and aged care, while enhancing the educational and social benefits in encouraging relationship building between generations.

Intergenerational care programs in Australia

Although intergenerational care programs are popular in the US and UK, they're in their infancy in Australia.

Griffith University

Given changing economic, demographic and social pressures in Australia, there's an increased need for quality and cost-effective care arrangements for both older people and young children.

There's an anticipated rise in demand for formal care services associated with an ageing population in Australia. This is further compounded by an increase in people not having children, shifts in perceptions of family obligations for caring, rising divorce rates and rising female employment rates.

Accompanying the unprecedented demand for formal aged care services is the limited supply of such care. Finding appropriate care for both older people and young children in Australia is often difficult and unsuitable for the person in need of care or their carer.

The increase in demand for formal care services and the shortage of supply of such care highlights the need for alternative models. This includes models such as intergenerational care. But current intergenerational programs in Australia tend to operate in residential aged care facilities, lack a formalised program based on educational teaching strategies, and don't keep track of or evaluate participant outcomes.

The Griffith University Intergenerational Care Project

The Griffith University Intergenerational Care Project focuses on trialling two models of care:

1. a shared campus model where an aged care centre is located in the same place as a childcare centre

2. a visiting campus model where childcare and aged care centres are located separately and one group travels to visit the other.

The psychological and social benefits of intergenerational care programs are well recognised. Griffith University's Intergenerational Care Project is investigating the educational, workforce and economic benefits intergenerational care programs can bring to Australia.

This research is now well underway and is being conducted across four locations within Queensland and NSW. It's conducted with older adults living with dementia and children aged three to five years.

In this program, older people and children meet for one hour each week over 16 weeks. They partake in shared activities designed to enhance engagement between generations.

Preliminary results suggest the reception of the program has been positive. Both younger and older participants expressed excitement and joy at being able to interact with each other.

Benefits of intergenerational care

Intergenerational care programs give children the opportunity to learn from and connect with an older generation, improve children's behaviour and attitude towards older people, and enhance the overall well-being of both young and old participants.

For older participants, intergenerational care programs allow them to pass on their knowledge and interact with young children in a meaningful way. As a result, they feel an improved sense of life meaning and enhanced self-worth.

Broader benefits

Community perceptions of older adults and ageing also tend to shift from negative to positive. This is especially important because older people want to be treated as valued members in society. Intergenerational care programs enhance the quality of relationships between ageing people and children, and challenge ageist stereotypes.

Intergenerational care programs create a strong opportunity to address ageism in society from an early age and challenge people's assumptions about the contributions of people living with dementia or experiencing other forms of cognitive decline.

This is particularly important in Australia. It's projected by 2050 about one million people will be living with a dementia-related illness. This represents an increase of 254% since 2011.

Griffith University

Delivering intergenerational programs in one location is also attractive because of anticipated cost savings. Both aged care and childcare organisations can decrease total running costs by sharing resources such as skilled labour, learning materials, and buildings.

Our preliminary workforce interview findings suggest intergenerational care is a career path that interests staff. It also suggests creating a training qualification to enable this career path may address workforce shortages in both child care and aged care.

Intergenerational care programs offer an effective alternative model of care in Australia in the face of increasing economic, demographic and social pressures. An extensive rollout of such programs has the potential to give families access to more, higher quality childcare, and helps older people feel like valued members of society.

This article was written by Professor Anneke Fitzgerald, Dr Katrina Radford and Ms Lalita Kirsnan, and first appeared at The Conversation.

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A new project shows combining childcare and aged care has social and economic benefits

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What happens when you bring a group of older residents to mix with young children in childcare? Clapping hands and singing songs is just one way they spend the morning together. These interactions are made possible by intergenerational care programs that have gained popularity in Australia in recent years.

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Young and elderly Victorians are set to learn under the same roof together, with construction underway on a new daycare centre being built in a Melbourne aged care home.

Kinder kids and aged care residents will mingle and interact together at the new 66-place intergenerational learning centre, being built as part of Mornington's Andrew Kerr Care nursing home.

Residents will take part in activities including arts and crafts, music and reading for an hour a day.

The kinder program, which is expected to be up and running by mid-year, is being run by The Herd Intergenerational Learning Centre.

The Herd co-director Anna Glumac said the project, which involves the licensed child care centre sharing the same roof as an aged care facility, is the first of its kind in Australia.

"The shared-roof nature of our facility will afford residents the freedom and opportunity to experience the joy of watching children in play whenever they're feeling lonely by visiting and spending time in a special viewing lounge that will overlook some of the children's play spaces," she said.

"Essentially, residents will be able to sit in a lounge-room type environment and feel enlivened by seeing little people playing in a way that might be reminiscent of the precious years when they had their own young children."

Throughout the week children the childcare centre will have daily visits with residents. Activities will include art, gardening, music, exercise and recreational games.

Ms Glumac said research, such as that being done by the intergenerational project team at Griffith University, shows both participating children and aged care residents benefit from intergenerational care programs.

She said benefits for residents may include an increase in physical activity and sense of purpose and may help alleviate levels of depression and loneliness - all of which can help ward off cognitive decline.

Ms Glumac added children also can get an enhanced sense of belonging by forming strong and close connections with their older friends and develop positive attitudes toward ageing and the elderly.

"Through regular contact with older adults, young children learn to feel comfortable around, and understanding of, the needs of those who have a disability and who may require aids to assist with their mobility, hearing or sight."

For the broader community, The Herd hopes break down stereotypes and barriers that exist between generations and broaden understanding of other age groups.

"By acting as a model and giving tours and support for other individuals and organisations interested in providing an intergenerational model of care, we endeavour to ensure that the impact of our project extends beyond the residents and children involved in our program," she added.

Andrew Kerr Care received $500,000 from the state government towards the $2.1m project.

For more details visit theherdilc.com.au or andrewkerr.com.au

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Herd mentality a win-win at aged care preschool

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Young and elderly Victorians are set to learn under the same roof together, with construction underway on a new daycare centre being built in a Melbourne aged care home. Kinder kids and aged care residents will mingle and interact together at the new 66-place intergenerational learning centre, being built as part of Mornington's Andrew Kerr Care nursing home.

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Jansen, Tiffany R. 2016. "The Preschool Inside a Nursing Home." The Atlantic. January 21, 2016. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/the-preschool-inside-a-nursing-home/424827/

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For the elderly residents, interacting with the kids is a jolt back to the world of the living.

Giggles and the pitter patter of little feet echo through the halls of Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle-not exactly the sounds you'd expect to hear in a living-care community for older adults. Then again, "the Mount," as it's known, isn't your typical nursing home.

Five days a week, residents and staff share the 300,000 square-foot facility with up to 125 children, ages zero to five. These children and their teachers make up the Mount's Intergenerational Learning Center (ILC), a licensed nonprofit child-care center and preschool established on the Mount's premises in 1991.

The program was designed to counterbalance the loneliness and boredom that so often characterize life in a nursing facility. These challenges can be particularly evident in homes like the Mount, where the average age is 92 and residents are largely fragile, non-ambulatory, and in need of significant assistance. "We wanted a living, vibrant community; to make sure that this was a place where people came to live, not die," says Charlene Boyd, an administrator at the center. Bringing children in was a natural solution.

Numerous studies have linked social interaction with decreased loneliness, delayed mental decline, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of disease and death in elders. Socializing across generations has also been shown to increase the amount of smiling and conversation among older adults, according to one Japanese study from 2013.

While it's unclear what kind of impact such social interaction has on children, research suggests it may come with a variety of benefits for them as well. For example, kids who have early contact with older people are less likely to view them as incompetent-and simply exposing children to positive depictions of elders makes them less likely to exhibit ageism. These intergenerational interactions also enhance children's social and personal development. And, as many of the parents whose children attend the ILC will attest, the kids are prone to feel more comfortable around those with disabilities and impairments of all kinds than their peers who lack such experiences.

Integrating preschools and nursing homes isn't an established trend, and there appears to be no real tally of how many are in existence. But judging by the viral nature of videos and articles depicting these programs on social media, it's a movement many are eager to embrace. In 1976, a Japanese man named Shimada Masaharu combined the nursery school and home for the aged in Tokyo's Edogawa municipality under one roof. By 1998, Kotoen was one of 16 such joint facilities, according to the Tokyo Ministry for Health, Labour, and Welfare. The idea trickled over to North America around the same time, and today there are intergenerational centers for elders and young children across Japan, Canada, and the United States.

Humans are, and have always been, an intergenerational species. Still, to keep up with the demands of the culture and society of today, the responsibilities of child and elder care have, out of necessity, been outsourced to professionals. "We live in a culture, time, and place where creative people have to use creative means to accomplish something that was always the most ordinary, customary thing in the human experience: older people and younger people sharing their lives," says Bill Thomas, a doctor and international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare.
"You could immediately see that she had accessed some part of her brain that had raised several kids."
At the Mount, there are plenty of opportunities for intergenerational engagement between residents and the children. Six times a week, teachers take their groups to the residential floors to visit the elders for anywhere from 20 minutes for the infants to 60 minutes for the older children. Residents are welcome to observe in the classrooms, and structured activities for the children and residents to participate in together are scheduled daily. Because they share the same building, there are opportunities for spontaneous engagement, too-when inclement weather strikes, and the children must make do with the halls, lobby, and vacant rooms as their playground, for example. Or when an area musician comes around to play tunes for the children to sing and dance to along with the elders.

Of the families that send their children to the Mount, roughly 10 percent are employees and a large majority are from the West Seattle area. Thanks to support from the Mount and its parent organization, Providence Health & Services, the center is able to offer tuition assistance and a 20 percent discount to staff members. Parents are interested in the program largely due to its reputation. The teachers, who are required to have at least 15 college-credit hours in early childhood education and complete an annual senior-care training, are cited as the biggest draw.

"A huge foundational piece of what we do here is teach the children how to solve their own problems," says Marie Hoover, the director of the Intergenerational Learning Center. "We spend a lot of time with phrases like 'I see you both want the same ball. What are your ideas for how to solve this?' Then we work with the kids until they either come up with their own ideas or the teacher gives them some suggestions for working it out. We get a lot of positive feedback about that." It isn't until parents tour the facility that they take notice of the intergenerational component, according to Hoover, which only serves to get them more excited about the program. Last I checked, there were more than 400 families on the ILC's waitlist.

Meanwhile, for the residents, the intergenerational engagement is a jolt back to the world of the living. In fact, it was this dynamic that caught the attention of the Seattle-based filmmaker Evan Briggs in early 2012. "For a long time I had been wanting to make a film that explored the issue of aging in America," she says. "When I found out about this retirement home with a preschool inside of it, I felt that was a really beautiful and poignant way to frame some of the issues and themes I wanted to address." Present Perfect, the resulting documentary due out in 2017, explores what happens when human connection across generations is encouraged and facilitated.

In a clip from Briggs's documentary, a resident in a wheelchair with drooping jowls and stooped shoulders leans in close to a small boy to ask his name. "Max," the boy replies. "Oh, Mack," the gentleman says, leaning back in his chair. With admirable patience, particularly for one so small, the child states his name repeatedly, with increasing volume and ever more precise articulation, as the resident continues to get it wrong.

Another resident with advanced Alzheimer's whose speech was incomprehensible garble was able to speak in complete, fluid, and appropriate sentences the moment she was wheeled into the baby room. "You could immediately see that she had accessed some part of her brain that had raised several kids," Hoover says.

During interviews with staff members at the Mount, I asked how the children at the ILC tend to deal with the death of a resident. I was told that the children might notice a resident was missing and ask a few questions but typically demonstrate little significant emotional attachment.

For Thomas, the geriatrician, this raises questions about whether truly meaningful relationships are being developed through the ILC. "Say the kids are coming in to see the elders," he posits. "If one of the kids calls out the name of an elder and runs toward that elder with their arms outstretched, that's the next step." While Thomas applauds the efforts of the Mount and other institutions experimenting with these types of programs, he says more opportunities for meaningful engagement and reciprocity are needed to reach that next level.

The institutionalization and bureaucracy of care homes tend to limit their ability to create such opportunities, according to Matt Kaplan, a professor of intergenerational programs and aging at Pennsylvania State University. "In nursing homes, policies tend to be rigid," he explains. "How you spend your time, where you spend it-it's all being regulated." In other words, rather than forming organically, any relationships that develop do so within the framework set by the professionals.

And ultimately, just like Cinderella's enchanted transformation, the magic may only last for a fixed amount of time. "As beautiful as [a program like this is], they march those kids right out of there at [6 o'clock], and five minutes later, that elder who had just been brought to life is sitting slumped over in a chair by a nurse's station," Thomas says. "And that's the sad part of the story."

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For the elderly residents, the kids are a jolt back to the world of the living-and for the children, the experience is a bittersweet lesson on aging.

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Twinning nurseries with care homes for the elderly would boost children's literacy skills, according to a thinktank that is calling for every childcare provider and school to build links with older people.

Children who regularly mix with older people see improvements to their language development, reading and social skills, something that is most easily achieved at "intergenerational care" centres highlighted in the Channel 4 series Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds, says a report by United for All Ages.

By playing and reading with children, the elderly are less likely to suffer loneliness, while the children get more opportunities for one-to-one reading and play time, it adds.

Intergenerational care began in Japan in 1976 and has spread to the US, Canada and the Netherlands. The first dedicated nursery and care home in the UK, Apples and Honey Nightingale, was set up in Wandsworth, southwest London, in mid-2017 and since then a further 40 have been created. Others are in development, including a veterans' care home with a nursery in Wilton, Wiltshire, and a purpose-built complex planned in Wigan, with a nursery, assisted-living flats and a care home.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has backed the idea of more nurseries opening next to NHS services "in some cases", but UAA says that every nursery, childminder, parent-toddler group and children's centre should develop a relationship with a care home. The thinktank has set a target of creating 500 cross-generational sites by 2023.

Stephen Burke, UAA's director, said much of the focus on intergenerational care had been on the benefits for older people, such as "tackling loneliness and isolation to improving health, care and quality of life".

"But there are big benefits for children and younger people too," he added. "Our challenge to Britain is to maximise those benefits for all of the next generation. Research shows that there are lasting benefits of a good start in life."

The report highlights a decline in opportunities for children, with nearly a third of 3,632 Sure Start children's centres cut since 2009, and evidence that poorer children have fallen behind their better-off counterparts by the age of five in half of local authorities in England. "Intergenerational action could and must make a much bigger contribution to this agenda," Burke said.

The report, titled The next generation: how intergenerational interaction improves life chances of children and young people,is published this week and includes contributions from 20 organisations focused on the welfare of children and older people.

Alistair Bryce-Clegg, an early years education consultant, was involved in the Channel 4 series that created a nursery within the Lark Hall retirement village in Nottingham. He conducted a study of 10 children to see how the experiment affected their wellbeing, language use and acquisition, social interaction and empathy.

"The outcomes for the children were very positive," he writes in the report. "They all made notable progress during their time in the experiment, with some of them making truly significant steps forward in their development."

Lorraine George, a development worker at Torbay council in Devon, examined the development of children at intergenerational centres in the US, where there are several hundred facilities. She discovered improvements in language development, increased reading skills, greater self-esteem and confidence among the children and development of empathy."We now have 20 care homes engaging in partnerships with early years providers," she writes, with one care home creating a room for childminders to use every day.

Intergenerational care also offers opportunities beyond young children and older people, with teenagers and parents also experiencing benefits of more cross-generational mixing, the report says.The UAA has also called for all primary and secondary schools to build closer ties with older people locally, whether that means volunteering at local care homes or using school buildings to host older volunteers.Anne Longfield, the children's commissioner, writes of how Italian teenagers who were suffering anxiety were being helped.

"Boys were encouraged to try out traditional pasta making with some of the older women in the community," she writes. "Working on the pasta together there was no real pressure to talk about themselves, but rather a sense of acceptance as they contributed to the communal effort and achievement."

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How the elderly can help the young - and help themselves

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Twinning nurseries with care homes for the elderly would boost children's literacy skills, according to a thinktank that is calling for every childcare provider and school to build links with older people.

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McGeorge, Elizabeth, and  Jo, James and Abraham, Nicola. 2021. "The Intergenerational Project: Creating Space For Play In Health Care." The Lancet 397 no.10288 (May): 1876-1877.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01103-X

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https://www.careforkids.com.au/child-care-articles/article/664/intergenerational-care-and-how-it-benefits-all-australians

this source is useful because it gives examples of two different models that could both work effectively for the intergenerational care project.
"The project connects children aged three to five with people aged 65 and older, who are living with and without dementia, to trial these two models of intergenerational care:

1. The Shared Campus Model: which involves child day care and aged day care centres sharing the same site, facilities and infrastructure, intergenerational care is delivered in a multi-function room that both age groups use, and

2. The Visiting Model: where the child day care and aged day care centres are located in different areas and either the children or the seniors are transported to the other centre for an hour of intergenerational activities each week"

one limitation is this is still in the trail period and haven't been completed yet, therefore it is unknown what the results will be.

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Intergenerational care unites child care with aged care, and although this is a fledgling approach in Australia, a new Griffith University project is bringing preschoolers and seniors together to see how intergenerational care could play a greater role in our society.
What does the Griffith University project involve?
Called the Intergenerational Care Project, this Federally-funded initiative is all about providing purposeful activities to build relationships between the young and not-so-young, instil a sense of meaning, and bring about positive change in aged care.

The project connects children aged three to five with people aged 65 and older, who are living with and without dementia, to trial these two models of intergenerational care:

1. The Shared Campus Model: which involves child day care and aged day care centres sharing the same site, facilities and infrastructure, intergenerational care is delivered in a multi-function room that both age groups use, and

2. The Visiting Model: where the child day care and aged day care centres are located in different areas and either the children or the seniors are transported to the other centre for an hour of intergenerational activities each week.

This program is looking at the socio-economic costs and benefits of intergenerational care and is seeking to create an evidence-based education program; it's also considering how intergenerational care can positively affect the workforce. For instance, it may help aged care and child care workers to think about a career in the opposite sector.

In terms of the big picture, Griffith University Lecturer, Dr Katrina Radford explains that, 'Our overarching aim has always been to find a way for intergenerational care programs to be part of the normal social policy program in Australia, which is underpinned by a sustainable business model.'
With this in mind, what are the benefits of intergenerational care?
There are many positives that come with grandparents and grandchildren sharing time together, and outside the family unit, intergenerational care still has a lot to offer:

It provides opportunities for children to learn from and connect with an older generation

It improves youngsters' 'pro-social behaviours' of helping, sharing and cooperating

It gives older people a sense of purpose and improves their social outcomes

It changes community perceptions and helps us see seniors and the ageing process as something positive

When it comes to seeing older people with fresh eyes, and considering the long-term benefits for preschoolers, Dr Radford says, 'Intergenerational care programs begin to unpack the stereotypes surrounding people living with dementia and people over the age of 65 in general ... In addition, it may contribute to reducing juvenile delinquency and improving the social outcomes of some children by creating meaningful relationships with people living in the community.'
What are the next steps when it comes to intergenerational care?
The Intergenerational Care Project finishes this month and Griffith University will provide a full report in June 2019 and discuss intergenerational care policy with the Government.

2019 also brings an innovative partnership between Kalyra Woodcroft Aged Care and Southern Montessori School in Adelaide, where Council has approved the co-location of some middle school classrooms alongside an aged care home.

This is an Australian first, and Kalyra Communities CEO, Sara Blunt says everyone involved is very enthusiastic about the initiative.

'We are really excited that 35 students ... will occupy classrooms that are on the same site as our residential aged care accommodation [because] this partnership will give students a wonderful learning environment, and ample opportunity to engage with civic and community life ...

Our residents are very pleased to contribute to the life skills of the students and will benefit from lifelong learning, and new technology,' she said.

All in all, intergenerational care has much to offer Australians, whether they're preschoolers, middle schoolers, care workers or retirees.

For an international perspective on intergenerational care read our article here.

References:
Aged Care Guide: Project Hopes Children Could Prove Key in Creating Change in Aged Care Aged Care Guide: Intergenerational Redevelopment Gets the Go-ahead in SA

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Intergenerational care and how it benefits all Australians

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Intergenerational care unites child care with aged care, and although this is a fledgling approach in Australia, a new Griffith University project is bringing preschoolers and seniors together to see how intergenerational care could play a greater role in our society. What does the Griffith University project involve?