Sanford House host visit from local nursery school

Residents at Sanford House care home were delighted to receive a visit recently from children who attend East Dereham Day Centre, a local nursery close to our home.Five children in all came along from the nearby nursery to meet us and spend time with our residents.Our residents eagerly waited for the little ones to arrive and they certainly brought a lot of excitement and joy with them. It was great for everyone to hear their laughter resonating around our home.Our residents and the nursery staff loved singing nursery rhymes with the children. It brought back very many happy memories for our residents and they loved interacting and having a cuddle with the little ones. We can see already that friendships will blossom between the children and our residents.The children also took a special liking to our home’s dog, Macey, who is always willing to soak up any attention.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 and here at Sanford House it is hoped that this will be the first of many visits. We’re looking forward to welcoming them back soon.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 Sanford House actively encourage visits from toddler groups, schools and youth groups to our care homes. 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.Sanford House is a modern purpose-built care home in Dereham, providing the highest standard of nursing care and nursing dementia care for up to 40 elderly people.Rated ‘Good’ by the quality inspector, CQC, we continuously improve the lives of our residents through offering wide ranging activities and events both in and outside of the home. Read the report here.If you would like to find out more about life at Sanford House, call us on 0808 223 5533 or [email protected].