Judith Ish-Horowicz, Co-Founder of intergenerational nursery, Apples and Honey Nightingale gives an uplifting insight into the value of intergenerational practice in social care
“What’s 90 years between friends?” So said Fay, who never had children, as she cuddled a baby on her lap during our intergenerational baby and toddler group. Apples and Honey Nightingale (AHN) daycare and pre-school opened its doors in the grounds of Nightingale House, the South London site of Nightingale Hammerson Care Homes, in 2017.
From small beginnings, we now cater for 80 babies and infants, both in the garden bungalow and in a new space within the care home itself. Together we enjoy daily activities with the Nightingale residents, or ‘grandfriends’, as the children call them. These interactions are carefully planned and delivered to provide most benefit to all involved, from the tiniest babies, through the care staff and teachers to the residents and their families.
20% of our places are reserved, highly subsidised, for the children of the care staff which helps with recruitment and retention, and to cement closer relationships between carers and residents, who become like family to the children.
Relatives see that their loved ones have stimulation and purpose and are living in a vibrant, safe, multi-generational community. They have news to share rather than sitting passively during family visits. Our intergenerational relationships offer stimulation, purpose and love and have transformed many people’s perceptions of life in a care home.
Nightingale House (NH) is a centre of excellence for dementia and end of life care. The impact of having the children around; laughing, running, playing, chatting is illustrated in the words of a relative:
“There’s something magical about little children singing. It was more effective than any medicine or any treatment in returning the twinkle to my mother after dementia hit.”
The skills and strengths that a child needs to develop to prepare for life are identical to those that residents need to maintain their independence. Therefore, the teachers, carers, activity coordinators and therapists liaise closely to ensure that the rich and varied programme is cognitively, physically, emotionally and sensorially of equal benefit. It ranges from ballet to baking, buddied reading to singing, poetry to gardening.
NH is a co-located model. Hammerson House, its partner site does not have an onsite nursery, so it has partnered with local primary and secondary schools to enjoy regular visits. The crucial word here is ‘regular’. Effective intergenerational work is relational, and relationships can only be formed through regular, sustained contact.
We have observed multiple benefits for our grandfriends:
- Giving purpose
- Motivation to get up in the morning
- Feeling valued and useful
- Reassuring them that they are still integral to society
- Combatting isolation, loneliness and depression
- Seeing movement all around, giving energy
- Having multigenerational relationships with interesting activities and programmes that go beyond basic daily needs
And the children benefit equally as they learn from living history, secure in their sense of belonging and being a link in the chain of existence.
Intergenerational (IG) programmes are not confined to care homes. Any safe, community space can host one. Downshall Primary School in Redbridge welcomed ‘grandfriends’ six years ago, benefitting from the attention, conversation and life experiences they can share with the children who provide purpose and relationships in return.
‘Sparkle’ has developed intergenerational community centres with a mission to ‘spark’ relationships between old and young for mutual benefit. Meeting weekly, they include a warm, nutritious lunch and a carefully designed programme.
At the intergenerational Sustainable Skills Cafés project, older members of the community are happy to demonstrate traditional skills to young children and their families. All these models demonstrate reciprocity and relationship.
However, it’s not the venue that informs the quality and the sustainability of these intergenerational projects. AHN has developed NCFE accredited qualifications in intergenerational practice to ensure that those responsible for the sessions have the breadth and depth of knowledge to plan and deliver high quality programmes with greatest impact. The time is ripe for intergenerational expertise to be an essential skill for care staff, and for Intergenerational Leads to be embedded in the staffing structure of care homes, another step in their career progression.
