In a heartwarming display of intergenerational connection, aged care homes across Australia are embracing the transformative power of playgroups that pair energetic children with lonely elderly residents. Inspired by the popular ABC television series “Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds,” these programs are blossoming, offering a glimpse into the untapped potential to improve the quality of life for those in aged care.
At the Compton Gardens Retirement Community in Brisbane’s north, the fortnightly playgroup has become a highlight for both the young and old. Thirteen-month-old Alyssa eagerly explores the white-walled sitting room, making a beeline for the miniature slide, while four-year-old Oscar dances enthusiastically alongside former kindergarten teacher Leonie Coade, leading a rendition of “Miss Polly Had a Dolly.”
“It’s important because they start to remember songs they sung to their children,” says Coade, the lifestyle coordinator for TriCare Aspley. “It actually reconnects them with being a parent.”
For 94-year-old Sheila Johnston, a former naval officer, the playgroup was a rare exception to her “no-joining” rule. “The children, they just accept you,” she says. “You don’t have to try with them, you can just be. They don’t recognise any infirmity or disability – you’re just a person, which is lovely.”
The mutual benefits of intergenerational play are evident, as geriatrician Susan Kurrle, who featured on the ABC show, can attest. “You could see that in their faces, in their movement,” she says, referring to the improvements in the older people’s strength, quality of life, and risk of depression.
While the COVID-19 pandemic and strict regulations initially stymied the enthusiasm, the intergenerational play movement is regaining momentum. A 2023 survey found that about one in five aged care homes now has such a program, and a study from Griffith University showed the ABC program had contributed to a groundswell of interest in the sector, including the establishment of a national peak body, the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice.
“There are very few people who aren’t moved by having a child run up to them and pull on their shirt and say, ‘come with me,'” says Kurrle. “It basically comes down to joy and happiness … it’s not rocket science.”
