Melton care home brings old and young together through generation games

A Melton care home has invited children from a local nursery to spend time with residents to help improve their overall health and happiness after being inspired by a hit TV programme.
Tots and their elders play games and laugh with one another PHOTO: SuppliedTots and their elders play games and laugh with one another PHOTO: Supplied
Tots and their elders play games and laugh with one another PHOTO: Supplied

The Amwell, a residential, nursing, dementia and respite care home in Asfordby Road, organised the experimental afternoon with the town’s Early Years Nursery after watching Old People’s home for 4 Year Olds, which aired on Channel 4 this month.

Eleven pensioners from the St Monica Trust retirement village in Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, and ten children from local Bristol pre-schools were selected for the ground-breaking two-part TV programme with filming taking place over a six-week period at the retirement community.

The old and young volunteers shared daily activities designed by experts, who were amazed to discover the transformative power that simply being around the children had for the older people. This resulted in some substantial improvements in the pensioners’ mental and physical health, while the children also showed benefits including language development and increased confidence.

The Amwell’s care home manager, Tracy Heyes, said that staff were so inspired by the TV show, which featured a series of extraordinary and moving scenes, that they wanted to do something similar for their own Melton residents.”

Activities coordinator Emily Bates made contact with Early Years Nursery, based in Norman Way, and worked extremely hard to get the event organised. The nursery was delighted to accept the invitation and a dozen children took part in joint activities with the residents.

Emmily said: “By bringing old and young together in this innovative experiment, the result was increased interaction, communication, creativity and emotional exchanges between the two groups. We were extremely keen to try and re-create that special experience.”

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