Sisters and Early Childhood Teachers Anna and Fiona Glumac set up an intergenerational care facility in Victoria that will provide interactions between children and parents in elderly care.
Inspired for the most part by her much-adored late grandmother, Mary, who spent the last year of her life in aged care, the sisters set up The Herd ILC in Mornington – the name pays homage to the respect elephants have for older herd members.
“When our wonderful grandmother made the transition to aged care, it was heartbreaking to see some of her spark disappear. She was enlightened around young children, so a program like this would give life. Our project is for her,” he said. The Herd co-founder, Anna Glumac.
The Herd Intergenerational Learning Center is being built under the same roof as the Uniting AgeWell Andrew Kerr Care aged care facility, with financial support received for this project from the Victorian government, Uniting AgeWell and the continued generosity of philanthropic organizations and community members.
The center cares for a maximum of 66 children from 6 weeks to 4 years and will open its doors early next year.
Elderly care residents can visit a lounge area and watch the children play. Young and old will also meet regularly to share planned activities, including art, music and stories.
Recent research shows that intergenerational care can reduce the risk of developing dementia and isolation and combat loneliness in the elderly. Children can also benefit, developing higher levels of empathy and social acceptance.
Herd co-founder Fiona Glumac said she hoped the center would inspire similar projects so that the model of care “became more of the norm in Australia”.
“Our project is unique because residents get the opportunity to come to the daycare and experience the joy of seeing and hearing the children play when they feel lonely.”
Uniting AgeWell Chief Executive Officer Andrew Kinnersly said the center would bring great benefits.
“There is a large number of studies to prove that intergenerational programs can improve the liveability of residents, while also being of great benefit to younger participants.
“Promoting older people living in housing care to further contribute and to engage with their community is very important; therefore, we are excited about the opportunities that this innovative, shared-roof intergenerational learning center offers young and old alike.
“As the center and the playground begin to take shape, it’s certainly the topic of daily conversation and interest.”
Rose and Barry Smith are a male and female duo who are current residents of Uniting AgeWell Andrew Kerr Care Community. They both look forward to participating in the intergenerational activities, saying, “It will bring a sense of community into our home; a great pleasure that will not only enrich our lives in housing, but also that of the children.”
They add, “The raw emotion of laughing, smiling and voicing children and wearing them is so special to see and observe. It brings a kind of normality and comfort into our lives.”
Andrew Knight’s son, two-year-old Walter, is enrolled at The Herd. Andrew looks forward to Walter embracing a whole new experience in childcare, saying: “In addition to the expected learning from early childhood, we hope it will help Walter become a more empathetic and compassionate little person and core memories to create for him a lifetime of appreciation and respect for our older generation. “
Andrew also added that he enjoys the opportunity to “give back to our community and help improve the quality of life of the elderly caregivers by giving them purpose and improving their mood. The energy of children is contagious; they have fun, laugh and motivate us to participate. ”
He explained, “We had seen the Retirement home for 4-year-olds series on the ABC and loved the concept. We could clearly see that it was beneficial to each other for both young and old, so when we heard that intergenerational care was coming to Mornington, we both knew we wanted to enroll Walter as soon as possible.
According to Emeritus Professor Anneke Fitzgerald, Griffith University, it has been proven that bringing older people and children together in a shared setting through activities aimed at meeting specific life goals benefits young and old.
“It has resulted in an improved attitude towards aging and the perceptions of children about older people. It has also improved pro-social behavior of sharing, helping, and collaborating between generations, by increasing social engagement, trust, and resilience in older people.
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