Generations Bond at The Orchard
30th April 2018
This week The Orchard Nursing Home at St Albans started a Mum and Baby Group. The new group takes place on Tuesday mornings between 10am and midday.
Home Manager Wendy Walker said:
“The morning was great success and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved”.
The residents and mummies enjoyed singing nursery rhymes with the children. It brought back many memories for the residents too. The residents loved interacting with the children and having a cuddle with the babies. Friendships are already blossoming between the children and the residents.It was an amazing morning that ended with a story.Research has shown that these intergenerational interactions have fantastic benefits for both generations. In the UK and Australia studies have shown that activities that include children and older adults in a 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. These events bring young and old together and enrich the residents and children’s lives.Caring Homes who run The Orchard actively encourage visits from toddler groups, schools and youth groups and the growing evidence suggests that building these unlikely friendships increases residents' sense of worth and wellbeing by sharing their life experiences with young people and it is helping local primary school children better understand the older generation. The focus of the visits is to bring together the different generations to bond, socialise and enjoy each other’s company over structured, mutually beneficial activities.At The Orchard Nursing Home, we provide the highest level of residential, nursing and specialist dementia care for up to 63 elderly residents and continuously improve the lives of our residents through offering wide ranging activities and events, both in and outside of the home involving members of the local community as often as possible.If anyone would like to join the group please call The Orchard on 0808 223 5544 or [email protected].[gallery size="medium" ids="25861,25859,25858,25857,25853,25854,25855,25856"]