GETTING STARTED – TIPS FROM UNITED FOR ALL AGES

A guide for parent and toddler groups planning activities in older people’s care homes

If you’re a parent and toddler group or a ‘stay and play’ group and want to share time and activities with a care home or extra care housing scheme for older people, here are some key points to consider and help you make the interaction a success for all generations.

  • Be clear about why you want to undertake joint activities and the benefits for children and older people - and parents too.
  • Identify a local care home/extra care scheme -ideally thiswill be easily accessible.
  • Be clear about when you want to visit, how regularly (there needs to be some consistency) and for how long each visit (usually 45 minutes to an hour).
  • Approach the manager of the care home/scheme for an initial conversation about what your group has to offer older people – and vice versa.
  • There will need to be a space where you can meet; the care home/scheme will need to have carers available to accompany residents if needed. Parents can supervise their children but having care workers around will help with safeguarding for all.
  • As there is unlikely to be an experienced early years practitioner to lead the group, activities will need to be thought through and agreed in advance. Activities could include singing, crafts, making and playing with homemade play dough or themed to seasonal events such as Christmas or Easter, winter or spring – the list is endless.
  • Residents should want to take part by choice; all residents whatever their condition should be included in the invitation to join in and share the experience. Initially some residents may only want to observe and may take a little time before they want to participate.
  • The interaction between ages needs to be both child led and resident led and allow spontaneous play wherever possible.

The mutual benefits for young and old will become obvious as the youngsters form relationships with the older generation –when it comes to difference, children see things differently and older people will enjoy a sense of purpose.Parents will also benefit from the company and seeing their children interact with other adults.

Keep a record of what you do, and try and record what the impact is for everyone involved. Think about how to develop the activities and keep the group going as children age and move on. And let us know how you get on: and tweet about it!