Our Parkwood little scholars are not only a part of our newest intergenerational program, they’re helping contribute to important research that looks at how intergenerational bonds support children’s emotional wellbeing as well as that of older people who often experience feelings of loneliness in their later years. This latest study by Griffith University will run over 24 weeks in three eight-week pairings with eight children and eight grandfriends.

Researchers at Griffith University, led by Professors Gaery Barbery and Anneke Fitzgerald, are evaluating the intergenerational program, proudly hosted by Bupa Agedcare Group Limited at Bupa Runaway Bay.

“The program is all about making connections,” according to Professor Barbery, project lead for Griffith University.

The project will measure loneliness, resilience and general wellbeing of the aged care residents using the De Jong Scale of Loneliness, he says. 

Isolation and feelings of loneliness are a serious threat for older people, because they’re more likely to live alone, lose family members and friends, suffer from chronic illness and hearing loss. Statistically, one in four older (over 65) Australians live alone. Of those who live alone, according to a 2015 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey, about 12 per cent didn’t receive visitors in a three-month period, and older men were reported to be less likely to have been visited, at 17 per cent.

From the viewpoint of the children, their educators will mark and monitor the project feedback and how it measures against set parameters using the Leuven scale.

“It measures children’s wellbeing and involvement based on observations from staff. There’s also a reflection manual for staff (educators) to offer their perspective of the program, along with a program evaluation survey,” according to Professor Barbery.

Bupa residents getting involved
Img 2738
Joan was surprised at how much she enjoyed her first vist with our little scholars

The Bupa residents were delighted to join the research project, all having different reasons for wanting to be a part of the program. 

“To see the little ones again, because my grandchildren are all grown up, and all littler ones who’ve been born are overseas, so it’s nice to see little people again,” says Lorette. 

“I like little children, and I’ve got a baby great-granddaughter but she’s in New Zealand. So this is a way to spend time with small children. They’re so cute, they’re gorgeous!” Pam says.

Being a half a world away from her family has been hard for Beverley.

“I was a teacher in preschool. I just love kids,” she says. “I have two grandchildren in England, I miss having my family nearby, they come but it’s so far away and a lot of money.”

For Joan, who turned 95 the day before the research project kicked off, she hadn’t considered how much she’d enjoy the visits.

“To start with, it was just an activity, but I found it was so interesting watching these children.”

And Joan says she’s impressed by the maturity of the children, even though they’re only four and five years old.

“They’re much older than we were mentally. Probably because as a society we do more adult things with them. They do seem very advanced to me. It’s a totally different ballgame than when I was a child,” Joan says with a laugh.

Our little scholars' feedback

Of course, we had to ask our little scholars what their takeaway of the program has been so far, and their answers were predictably unpredictable.

 

Ida, age 4
I like drawing with Judy.
Learn more
Adeline, age 4
I really like colouring with Judy. I think she’s a hundred thousand old
Book a tour
Hendrix, age 4
I love to paint with Gigi.
Learn more
George, age 4
My favourite thing is reading a book with Bob. Bob isn't lots old.
Book a tour
Ethan, age 4
I like to do painting with Gigi.
Learn more
Frankie, age 4
Sometimes I like to paint with them and other times I like to just play with all of our grandfriends.
Book a tour
Previous slide
Next slide

Community involvement

This project is enthusiastically supported and funded by Bendigo Paradise Point Community Bank.

“The Bendigo Paradise Point Community Bank is a registered social enterprise supporting the Gold Coast Community,” says William Matthews, who is proud to be on the Board of Bendigo Bank Paradise Point, as well as principal and director of client operations for Sovereign Family Offices. 

Will says he heard Professor Fitzgerald speak at the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice (AIIP) meetings that he regularly attends, and was inspired to see how Bendigo could help.

“As a social enterprise we reflect the values of our community, customers and staff. We see our support of Intergenerational Practice in the community as an essential component to strengthening our community by breaking down the barriers in how our most venerable people in society are cared for. We are extremely grateful for Little Scholars, BUPA and Griffith University for championing this project and supporting a future that includes people from every stage of life.”  

Img 2750

How intergenerational programs benefit participants

Mandy Kaur, general manager of Bupa Runaway Bay, says once her team heard about the project, they were very quick to jump to be a part of it.

“We are all excited to continue this project,” Mandy says. “I believe these visits can foster a sense of joy, connection, and purpose for both the children and the elderly residents.”

The benefits of intergenerational programs in aged care are numerous, according to Mandy.

“Combating loneliness, fostering empathy, promoting social engagement, and enhancing cognitive function for older adults.

“They also provide younger generations with valuable life lessons, respect for elders, improved social skills, increased empathy and understanding towards older adults, enhanced emotional development, and opportunities for learning and cognitive stimulation.”

Img 2697

“The children are loving the visits so far,” according to Amy, campus manager for Little Scholars Parkwood. “They have developed some beautiful relationships with some of the residents and regularly discuss throughout the week their experiences with them.

“After week two, the children knew their grandfriends by name and were buzzing with excitement to see them again, which I think shows just how beautiful incorporating an intergenerational program can be!”

Professor Fitzgerald  says  programs like intergenerational ones further support the old proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.

“This research has the potential to make a huge impact on society, reconnecting the young and old,” she says.

“It is not just their eyes that lit up, but also their brain. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing older adults and young people connect for mutual benefit. So exciting to see how hearts are filled with joy.”

“I’m proud Little Scholars has the opportunity to assist in important research that looks at the benefits to both the young and the young-at-heart. Our little scholars are in the most important years of their life when it comes to brain development, and the lessons they learn from their grandfriends they can carry with them their entire lives,” says Jae Fraser, founder of Little Scholars.

Intergenerational relationships is something Jae is passionate about, and it’s been part of Little Scholars nearly since its inception 10 years ago.

“We’re honoured Griffith University researchers contacted us as leaders in the early education field, and we’re thrilled so many of our Little Scholars families jumped at the chance to participate. I can’t wait to see the results of this study when it concludes, and I hope it further highlights the proven positive impact of these relationships, showing how they enrich the lives of both children and older adults.”

Since nearly the beginning of Little Scholars, Little Scholars School of Early Learning has been proud to have special friendships in the community with people who live in aged care setting.

Img 8859 2 1 300x248

The premise of Little Scholars Intergenerational Program, dating back to 2015, is simple. It’s all about supporting connection between the young and the young at heart and bringing parts of our community together.

“It all began when our leadership team attended an intergenerational forum where we learnt that 16% of people in Australia are over 65 years of age and 45% of these people have reported feelings of loneliness. That’s a huge number and made us want to act,” says Jae Fraser, founder of Little Scholars.

“We also had some feedback from families who had moved here from interstate or internationally, and their children had no physical contact with their grandparents – so this was a wonderful opportunity for us to allow these children to have ‘Grandfriends’.”

Isolation in older people

Isolation and feelings of loneliness are a serious threat for older people, because they’re more likely to live alone, lose family members and friends, suffer from chronic illness and hearing loss. Statistically, one in four older (over 65) Australians live alone.* Of those who live alone, according to a 2015 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey, about 12% didn’t receive visitors in a three-month period, and older men were reported to be less likely to have been visited, at 17%.

In a 2020 Royal Commission report, of the Australians who reported knowing someone in aged care facilities, one third never contacted the people they know, and one in five never visited.

Social isolation has also been linked to mental illness, emotional distress, suicide, the development of dementia, premature death, physical inactivity, poor sleep, and biological effects, including high blood pressure and poorer immune function.

Little Scholars aims to fix this.

Young and young at heart

Ashmoreintergenerationalvisit E1684814355750 300x300

With our intergenerational program, the children visit with their grandfriends fortnightly. They do crafts, play games, sing songs, share morning teas and have meaningful chats. For their young-at-heart mates, the visits help alleviate challenges of isolation, and brings joy, feelings of self-worth, developing new friendships, silliness, and fun. For the children, the visits have a multitude of benefits, including:

  • Become more accepting of differences – especially when it comes to disability
  • Learn about the natural aging process and reduce potential fear of elderly people
  • It allows various generations to share stories and pass on their traditions, giving new perspectives
  • Improved memory
  • Enhanced self-esteem, feeling that they’re helping their grandfriends and making a difference
  • Connection to community

So many of the residents just want or need one thing that they can look forward to, to keep them going.

Natalie Carey, Deception Bay campus manager

Our Redland Bay campus started its friendship with a nearby aged care home because a parent worked there. The parent mentioned how much the residents loved when her own children visited, so staff decided to reach out and begin planning an intergenerational program.

“We started with just the kindergarten class, and every time we went down there, we took a different age group with us,” says Jordie, now campus manager of Little Scholars Ormeau 2. “We went there to share high teas, we created hampers for the residents for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas that were donated by our families.”

Our Deception Bay Little Scholars began its program in 2016, when campus manager Nat arranged for the kindergarten children to visit the aged care home Nat’s grandmother lived in.

“We connected with them to be able to give the elderly someone consistent who would come and visit them, as some of them received no visitors,” Nat says. “I learnt this when I spoke to one of my grandma’s carers and she said so many of the residents just want or need one thing that they can look forward to, to keep them going.”

Nat says they started taking the kindergarten children regularly, then extended it down to the younger studios to embed it across their service.

348366213 641466864061504 7860926564110127774 N

“We would always take five or six kindergarten children to allow the connections to continue between the children and their grandfriends. The dementia patients, in particular would love our babies, and together we got to create and witness some special moments.”

The Little Scholars Ashmore campus started its intergenerational program last year, after working with Griffith University’s Dr Jennifer Cartmel and PhD student, Jelisa Tan.

Jelisa did her placement at the campus and prepared resources for team members and families. She shared slideshows, floor books and fact sheets with an emphasis on the benefits of the intergenerational program and its progress.

While many of our services have had informal relationships with local aged care residences for many years, we believe the intergenerational program is more important than ever and will be incorporated in all 13 Little Scholars campuses by the end of 2023.

“Celebrating the role older community members play in the development of children is something to be fostered and celebrated. The program is one of the most popular aspects of our services, we’ve found our community loves finding occasions to see the different generations come together and share in a common experience,” Jae says.

Help your child grow physically, emotionally, socially. Our intergenerational program will be at all our campuses by end of 2023. Learn more about Little Scholars.

Related stories

Logo
Come and see the Little Scholars difference

Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!

Come and see the Little Scholars difference

Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!