Intergenerational program a hit at West Lake Terrace
Thursday August 23, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
For the past year and a half, an intergenerational program at West Lake Terrace, made possible through a community partnership, has made residents at the Picton long-term care home happy, says the home’s life enrichment co-ordinator.

Julie Clarkson says residents look forward to the weekly Prince Edward Child Care Services intergenerational playgroup held Thursday mornings.

The intergenerational playgroup is a partnership the home has with the Picton day-care centre. Children from the day care, who range in age from about six months to six years, visit the home to spend time with residents.

The number of children visiting the home ranges from two to 10, says Clarkson.

“The residents really enjoy having children in the home,” she says. “It really puts a smile on everybody’s face when they’re around.”

The playgroup is held in the home’s main dining room. The children play with toys while they visit residents. Residents and the children participate in singalongs, crafts and story-time activities together and everyone has a good time, says Clarkson.

The idea for the partnership began when Clarkson decided to contact Prince Edward Child Care Services about the possibility of bringing children into the home for therapeutic purposes. When Clarkson’s daughter was younger she had been part of a successful outreach playgroup, and Clarkson felt it would be good for residents at West Lake.

“I thought it would be a really neat idea if we could incorporate that into our programming, so I contacted Prince Edward Child Care Services and we were able to make that work,” she says.

Clarkson says the success of the program can be seen in the way the residents and children interact well with each other.

“The children don’t seem to be timid or afraid at all and they blend quite well with the residents,” she says.

One reason Clarkson says the program works so well is that many residents have grandchildren or great-grandchildren of their own.

“It’s nice for them to be able to have that interaction with children,” she says.