What happens when you put a nursery in a care home?
At Belong Chester, residents spend their days with nursery-age children. What effect does it have on the wellbeing of both groups? Helen Pidd reports
“I think there’s something very natural about bringing young children and older people together, and yet in the UK it’s not the norm any more,” Helen Pidd, the Guardian’s north of England editor, tells Nosheen Iqbal.
Is the UK missing out on the benefits of intergenerational living? Helen visits Belong Chester, a multigenerational care home in Chester’s city centre. Sue Egersdorff, co-founder of the charity Ready Generations, who operate Belong’s nursery, tells Helen that many residents are reserved when they arrive but blossom when they make friends with the nursery children.
“The children come in and you actually see them, their whole body, unfurl,” Egersdorff says.
Helen meets residents with dementia and those who care for them, and finds out about the benefits of the environment for the older residents and for the nursery children.
“I think what the children really gain is they have access to a whole ready community of incredibly patient and available older people, who do things at a slower pace, which is perfect for children who often do need a bit more time and maybe they do need to calm down a little bit.”
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