An experimental aged-care mannequin in South Australia, the place purpose-built unbiased retirement dwelling flats are co-located with an early studying heart, is in search of to foster connections between residents and youngsters.
On this mannequin, one of many first of its variety in Australia, older adults dwell on web site and pre-school youngsters (aged between three and 6) study there, enabling each day interactions.
For our new examine, revealed within the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, we requested 5 older adults and 17 youngsters what they consider dwelling and studying on this group.
We have been significantly considering how the design of the constructing helps the youngsters and residents work together. We requested each the older adults and youngsters to take photographs of the areas by which they spent probably the most time collectively, submit a few of these to us, and verbally share their reflections with us in regards to the which means of the photographs.
That is known as a “photovoice” methodology and is usually used to deliver the voices of kids and older adults into analysis.
For the older adults, our findings counsel these intergenerational interactions helped to cut back loneliness, enhance psychological well-being, and hold folks energetic and engaged.
For kids, the interactions with the older adults—who they fondly discuss with as their “grand-friends”—appeared to foster empathy, enable them to develop a deeper understanding of growing older, and enrich their studying.
Shared areas and actions
The location, within the northern suburbs of Adelaide, was designed to allow each casual and structured interactions between the residents and the youngsters. It options quite a lot of shared areas, together with a library, an intergenerational assembly room, a workshop and a group backyard.
Whereas these areas assist to construct a way of belonging and group, the older adults and youngsters additionally cross paths much less formally—for instance in entrances, hallways and elevators. Residents usually wave to youngsters from their balconies.
All this supplies a possibility for the older adults and youngsters to get to know one another, just like what would possibly occur in a neighborhood setting.
Importantly, strong security measures are in place for each residents and youngsters, with certified early childhood educators and aged-care workers supervising all intergenerational actions.
We discovered each teams valued shared actions equivalent to enjoying the piano, dancing, making artwork, enjoying within the sandpit, and choosing strawberries and flowers. Taking part in with a resident’s cat was a spotlight for all.
Our findings counsel inexperienced areas—each inside, equivalent to indoor crops, and outdoors, such because the group backyard, lawns and pathways—have been significantly appreciated and useful in selling social connections.
We additionally seen studying went each methods, with the older adults and younger youngsters instructing one another abilities. For instance, the youngsters confirmed their grand-friends learn how to play ping pong, whereas the older adults helped youngsters to repair their toys within the workshop.
When the older adults hung out fixing the youngsters’s toys, they felt proud they may give again to their group.
‘It’s heartwarming simply being with all the youngsters’
For the youngsters, their interactions with the residents appeared to foster empathy and permit them to develop a deeper understanding of growing older.
For instance, in the neighborhood gardens there are handles put in for the older adults’ security. After taking a photograph of them one baby advised us: “Those are some handles so they don’t fall down. For the children and the grand-friend. We need to look after our [grand-friends].”
One older grownup shared a photograph of residents’ fingers alongside a few of the youngsters’s fingers. They recounted: “A little boy came up to me and said what’s all these spots on your hand […] I thought I had to teach him a lesson […] when I was little I didn’t put sun tan lotion on. So next he disappeared and he came back with all this [lotion]. That brought a smile.”
Interactions with the older adults supplied a kind of mentorship for the youngsters. One baby talked a few resident who fastened toys within the workshop: “He fixes our broken cars. He teaches me how to fix them.”
The residents, in the meantime, expressed gratitude for having the youngsters of their lives, and for the chance to inform tales. For instance, one older grownup mentioned, “I must say I love going to the [early learning center], it is heartwarming just being with all the children.”
Connecting generations
Australians live longer than ever earlier than. Youngsters usually dwell far-off from grandparents. Each generations are in search of social connections and group.
The World Well being Group says connecting generations can fight loneliness, lower ageism and foster lifelong studying.
The idea of intergenerational care shouldn’t be new. There are a number of established examples we are able to study from abroad.
Nevertheless, designing buildings particularly for this objective is a more recent idea. Whereas this instance is likely one of the first of its variety in Australia, different aged-care suppliers are beginning to comply with this development.
We’ll must do extra analysis at comparable websites to develop finest observe design ideas and guarantee these environments provide one of the best for the older adults and youngsters who dwell and study there.
However our analysis suggests aged-care services that share premises with training suppliers may provide a recent option to deal with the housing and care wants for each older and youthful Australians.
Extra data:
Clare Littleton et al, Exploring youngsters and older adults’ views on a purpose-built intergenerational housing setting in South Australia—a photovoice examine, Journal of Intergenerational Relationships (2025). DOI: 10.1080/15350770.2025.2544805
Offered by
The Dialog
This text is republished from The Dialog below a Inventive Commons license. Learn the unique article.
Quotation:
‘We have to take care of our grand-friends’: How childcare in aged care will help younger and outdated (2025, August 30)
retrieved 30 August 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-08-grand-friends-childcare-aged-young.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Other than any honest dealing for the aim of personal examine or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is offered for data functions solely.
