Bringing Generations Together At Christmas

A nursing home near Bridgnorth in Shropshire held a special Christmas morning with new friends from nearby Jiggy Wrigglers Music and Movement Classes.

18 toddlers joined residents at Morris Care’s Oldbury Grange Nursing Home for an Elf Party with a difference. The youngsters were all dressed up for the occasion and Santa himself made an appearance.

Morris Care is an advocate for intergenerational care and bringing the young and the old together to mutually benefit all involved.

Visits like these are something the private nursing home business has been organising for many years, long before Channel 4’s ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ boosted the profile for this form of care.

Rhea Paller, Home Manager, said: “We are firm believers in the benefits of intergenerational care and the laughter and joy the children spread throughout the Home is fantastic for our residents and staff too. They are more than welcome to visit whenever they like and we wish them all a very Merry Christmas.”

Music classes, visits to local attractions and crafting sessions, to name just a few, all help to reduce loneliness and induce laughter. Intergenerational activities remind the elderly of their own childhoods and time spent with their children and is proving to be a success nationwide. For the children, these moments are thought to boost literacy, language and social skills.

Katie Clunn, Managing Director of Jiggy Wrigglers, added: “Our little ones absolutely love visiting their friends at Oldbury Grange and parents are invited to come along too. It’s not just at Christmas time either, we’ve visited at Easter where the children were able to pet real rabbits!”