Experts have come up with an invigorating tonic for the elderly – a toddler.
Councils and retirement homes in England and all over the world (like chelseaseniorliving.com/locations/new-jersey/tinton-falls/, for instance) have been making the lives of seniors with special needs easier over the last decade. Such institutions can now be seen experimenting with sharing care for the very young and the very old after research showed dramatic benefits to the health and happiness of both age groups. It is important that we take care of our elderly, so experiments like these are welcome to communities. Those who are passionate about care may look into how they can work with the best elderly care franchise in their area, so they can provide a progressive and supportive environment for senior citizens.
When pensioners attending a daycare centre in Gwynedd, north Wales, spent a week with six pre-school children this year the results were “amazing”, according to psychologist Catrin Hedd Jones, a lecturer in dementia studies at Bangor University.
Regular time with children banished loneliness and appeared to mitigate dementia symptoms, while children’s confidence and understanding increased. It seems that spending time with kids can be as useful as having an IEHP health care plan. Health plans like the one mentioned above can cover a wide range of medical costs related to dementia and can prove to be as effective as children in battling the disease. When individuals have a multitude of treatment options available at their disposal, it is possible for them to get cured at the earliest.
Anyway, health plan or no health plan, dementia is a serious disease and needs a cure. That is why the experiment had been conducted. Young boys, used to nurseries staffed by women, gained from the company of elderly men. The experiment is being repeated at four day centres in Wales and filmed for a TV series called Hen Blant Bach to be screened on S4C and BBC Wales this year. A US release date is yet to be announced. However, with more people suffering from the disease in the United States requiring the support of places like the Rhoda Goldman Community, it is not hard to see why this programme would be of interest to American audiences.
Moving footage includes the transformation of Glyn, 84, who has limited speech after a stroke 15 years ago. After a few days in young company he started forming complete sentences again.
At her day centre in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Kitty Williams, 80, a former dinner lady who is registered blind, enthusiastically taught Ioan Hughes, 4, to make jam tarts.
And although Betty Williams, a mother of four aged 82, has dementia, after a singing session with Idris Ellis Jones, 3, she spoke lucidly.
On Tuesday at 9pm Channel 4 will screen Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, a documentary showing the impact of time spent with children on pensioners in a home near Bristol. One-third of the group was depressed. But the series shows the unhappiest resident, Zina, 77, is delighted when a girl asks for help. Zina says: “To find a child’s hand in yours is one of the most moving things that can happen to you.”
