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Cheval Roc, a Nursing and Residential Care Home situated in Bonne Nuit Bay, is playing host to eight nursery school children, for a morning of singing, crafts and cakes, on Thursday 22nd February.
The children, from Acorn Nursery School, are taking part in an initiative which is inspired by Channel 4’s ‘Old People’s Home For 4-Year-Olds’, where pre-schoolers shared their classroom with pensioners. The idea, which has also been trialled across the US, focuses on the benefits to health and happiness the older group receives from intergenerational relationships: these range from a reduction in cases of depression, to improved memory and an enhanced sense of purpose.
Research also shows that children can benefit from these interactions, with improved academic performance and a heightened sensitivity towards aging and those with disabilities, making them socially more mature than their peers.*
Vicky Scarborough, Owner, Acorn Nursery School, says:
‘Many of our children are collected by grandparents who either live on the Island or are visiting. To witness the joy in the faces of both is testament to the valuable role that older people can play in the lives of our little children and the pleasure the young give in return.
We are taking eight children aged three and four to visit Cheval Roc, armed with cakes that they have made, songs they have practiced and puzzles they would like to share with the residents. We hope this will be the start of regular meetings that will enhance the lives of both the young and the old.’
Maggie Stobbart-Rowlands, Manager of Cheval Roc, says:
‘At Cheval Roc, we pride ourselves in putting people at the heart of everything we do. The health and wellbeing of our residents is of utmost importance to us and we are delighted with this new partnership with Acorn Nursery School. The children’s unbound energy, curiosity and joy for life makes for an invigorating experience for our residents and we hope they will be able to give back just as much to the children.’
