Resident-child programming successful in homes
Monday December 10, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
Intergenerational programs in long-term care homes are beneficial to both residents and children, say staff members at homes partnering with day-care centres.

Muskoka Landing in Huntsville has a partnership with a day-care centre which rents space from the home. In the four years she has been activity co-ordinator at the Jarlette Health Services-owned home, Pamm Griffin says the program has been “very successful.”

Three times per week, the children from the day care — who range in age from 18 months to five years — visit the residents at the home, and participate in a variety of activities with them.

At the moment, singalongs, baking groups and one-to-one time are the most common features of the program. Once a month, a few of the residents and toddlers will participate in an arts-and-crafts activity together. Plans are also underway to unveil a reading program in the near future.

“I think the intergenerational program is a way that you can meet the residents’ needs in many ways,” says Griffin. “They react very well to children. Some people that don’t come to a lot of group programs, they absolutely love seeing children and it brightens their day.”

Not only do residents benefit from having visits with the children, the children also enjoy the atmosphere. In fact, when the children come for visits, they call the residents “grandmas” and “grandpas.”

“I feel it’s integrating them into a society where there are older adults,” says Griffin. “It’s also giving them education (about) older people.”

For nearly two years, OMNI Health Care-owned West Lake Terrace in Picton has had a once-per-week intergenerational program with Prince Edward Child Care Services. Residents get visits from between two and 10 residents each Thursday morning. While visiting the home, the children play with toys and visit with residents.

“The residents really enjoy having children in the home,” says West Lake Terrace’s life enrichment co-ordinator Julie Clarkson. “It really puts a smile on everybody’s face when they’re around.”

The most evident highlight of the program, she says, is seeing how well the residents and children interact with each other.

“The children don’t seem to be timid or afraid at all and they blend quite well with the residents,” she says.