Intergenerational Connections

As part of the Australian Government's response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, Primary Health Networks are implementing activities dedicated to Early Intervention Initiatives that support better health, wellbeing, and access to primary care and aged care services for older people.

We support five Intergenerational Programs within our region including Springwood Neighbourhood Centre, Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre, Mission Australia,  NADO Disabilities Services and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. 

What is an Intergenerational Program?

Intergenerational Programs bring together older adults from the community and residents of independent living with children aged between 3 and 5 years for group-based interactions. The programs support older adults to live at home for longer by improving their social and physical wellbeing through activities that foster meaningful engagement between the generations. 

Benefits of Intergenerational Programs  

Intergenerational Programs have been shown to improve health outcomes for older adults and children, including improvements in physical health, mental health, cognitive abilities and communication skills.

Connecting older adults with the younger generation through purposeful intergenerational activities benefits both cohorts by building meaningful connections that foster deeper communication. Activities promote healthy ageing by providing mutual learning opportunities, improving social connectedness and increasing physical activity levels.

Evaluation of Intergenerational Programs 

Our recent formal evaluation found that these Intergenerational Programs had a positive impact on mood and wellbeing and contributed to an improvement in the participants’ social connections and mental health. 

One service provider said, "For some of the residents who may have been feeling lonely or even suffering some depression, the program provided a sense of purpose and brought smiles to their faces." Another participant said, "My favourite moment was when the children entered the room, I overheard one of the children whisper to their friend - ‘that’s my one’, while pointing at me. This made me feel most special."

Interactions with the children were a source of joy for many, and some built strong connections with individual children and other participants, which continued after the program finished. One participant said “What I most enjoyed about the program is the fact that I made a new friend, another lady, we swapped addresses and we’re going to go out, this is really good – I wasn’t thinking that this might happen.” 

To find out more, read our Intergenerational Programs Evaluation Summary or visit our library to read the Intergenerational Programs Evaluation Full Report. 

Locations

Blue Mountains:

• Springwood Neighbourhood Centre
• Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre

Penrith:

• Mission Australia
• NADO Disabilities Services

Hawkesbury:

• Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (also available in Penrith) 

More Information

For further information, please email Ella Ibbitson, Program Development Officer – Palliative Care and Healthy Ageing or call 4708 8124.