Connecting Generations

Connecting Generations: Our Homes and Their Young Visitors

At Enliven, growing older should never mean losing connection with people, purpose or community. Across our homes, visits from children and young people are one of the most joyful ways this belief comes to life.

Cashmere Home: a home open to every generation

Cashmere has built strong links with local schools and early childhood centres, giving residents regular contact with young people of all ages.

Newlands College. Through a volunteering programme that began last year, two elective classes of 8 to 12 students visited each Tuesday and Wednesday for 30-minute sessions across Terms 2, 3 and part of 4. The aim was for students to gain volunteering experience and spend time with a wide range of older people, some of whom had only known their own grandparents. Many worked outside their comfort zones, building confidence and making friends with residents along the way. Activities included ice breakers, bingo, bowls, cooking tasks, quizzes, craft and a Lego challenge. Residents loved the time with the students and enjoyed getting to know them.

Onslow College Games Group. Set up in June, this fortnightly group brings 7 to 10 students (with more to come) to Cashmere on Thursdays at 3.45pm for an hour of games. The students love playing games and want to spread the fun, and their visits bring joy and laughter to residents’ days. So far the group has run ice breakers, bingo and Kahoot quizzes, which residents loved, with more games to come.

Early Impressions Childcare. This long-standing connection began with an Easter egg hunt and now includes a visit a few weeks before Christmas too. Between 20 and 30 children, with their carers and parents, join residents to hunt for eggs, hear a story and take part in a colouring competition. The children also perform a few songs and dances in return. Time with young children brings mental, emotional and even physical health benefits for seniors, and residents who attend love these visits.

Wellington Girls’ College. Some students visited Cashmere Home for a social studies project. They invited residents to take part in a quiz, collaborating in small groups and writing down their answers. The quiz was well received and brought a huge amount of enjoyment to the people of Cashmere Home. For a second activity, the girls ran a variation on people bingo. Instead of walking around to fill in their bingo cards, players listened as experiences were called out, and the winner was the person with the most. This sparked reminiscing and discussion between the students and residents.

On another occasion, four students from Wellington Girls’ College organised an afternoon for residents on Thursday 1 October, International Day of Older Persons. Though they were not visiting on behalf of the school, the girls set up the visit themselves and ran 90 minutes of activities, including a guess-the-person game, bingo, and guess the country flag or landmark.

Willard Home: a 60-year friendship

For over six decades, Willard Home has shared a special bond with Russell Street School. Each Wednesday afternoon, a class of tamariki visits to read, sing, dance, play games and share kapa haka (and the home and school even share a few chickens).

Manager Christine Tester says it is a joy to watch five-year-olds arrive quietly and timidly, then stride in confidently in later years as friendships form with residents. Some former students have even returned decades later as residents themselves.

Willard also welcomes the little ones from Best Start each month. On Grandparents’ Day, Sunday 4 October, we celebrated these generations who show up for each other.

Kandahar: shared moments that matter

“The Kandahar Recreation Programme connects older people with younger people through visits from Hadlow Preparatory School. These moments do more than build connection. They support physical, cognitive and emotional wellbeing, helping to combat the risks of ageing and isolation,” says David, Kandahar Manager.

More than an activity

As Manisha from Cashmere Home puts it, these visits are about community, not just keeping people busy. A resident might read to a child, share a childhood memory or sing a familiar song. For someone living with dementia, words and names may not come easily, but connection does not depend on memory. A smile, a song or a child’s laughter can communicate something powerful. The person is still there, still capable of connection and still able to experience joy.

“When children walk through our doors, they remind us that community has no age limit, and that getting older doesn’t mean living less. It is not about adding years to life, but adding life to those years,” Manisha says.

Collaboration

From Easter egg hunts and Kahoot quizzes to kapa haka and a 60-year friendship, the visits across our homes take many forms, but they share the same heart. Young people gain confidence, perspective and new friends, while residents gain laughter, stories and a renewed sense of purpose. Every generation has something to give and something to receive.

At Enliven Central, we are grateful to the schools, early childhood centres, students and families who walk through our doors. Their time and energy remind us that connection is at the heart of a life well lived, at any age.