‘It’s a lovely awakening’: Elderly people and children sing and dance together in UK's first intergenerational care home

‘The children trot in and they love it. They dance and they prance. And we love it too. For that hour or so you forget that you’re away from your own family,’ beams 93-year-old Anna Platman

A chorus of nursery rhymes isn’t what you expect to hear on walking into an elderly people’s home, but a retirement facility in south London has its residents doing just that – and children are there to lead the way.

“The children trot in and they love it. They dance and they prance. And we love it too,” beams Anna Platman, 93, who has been a resident of the care home for nearly a year. “Being old has its moments. But for the hour or so you forget that you’re away from your own family.”

Nightingale House in Wandsworth is the first of its kind in the UK that integrates both older residents and children into the delivery of the curriculum and elderly care. With a nursery and a care home on the same site, the children are able to visit the elderly residents on a daily basis – to the delight of both parties.

On the morning when The Independent visits the facility, the residents and the children are taking part in a joint exercise session. “Frere Jacques” plays out as the older people sit in a circle swaying their arms in the air while the youngsters dance playfully in the middle. When “The Hokey Cokey” starts young and old lock hands and dance along together.

Anna, who sings along to all the nursery rhymes with impressive energy, has a soft spot for three-year-old Martha, and grins with delight when she sees her skip in.

“She came in today and she came straight to me and said, ‘Hello Anna’. Martha is three and I’m 93. So can you imagine looking at a 93-year-old and still saying hello? She gives me a smile and says, ‘look what I’m wearing’. It’s great. Very good.”

Fay Garcia, a well-dressed 90-year-old, grins as she plays catch with one of the youngsters, clapping in delight when she catches the ball. For her, after moving to the home following a career working for the United Nations in New York, playing with the children is a rejuvenating experience.

“It’s a great joy when they join us. They really get us going,” Fay chuckles with a broad smile across her face. “It’s such a joy to see that they’re having fun too. It’s marvellous.

“I never had children of my own. I’ve been out of the country all my working life, I haven’t even really had my sister’s family, so this is like being completely reborn – at 90!”

Fay says interacting with the children does wonders for her and the other residents, describing her bond with the little ones as a friendship.

“There are so many people here who sit on chairs all day and just eat and sleep. But they seem to love it, even the grumpy ones,” she says, her face lighting up. “They seem to be rejuvenated by seeing the children. I think we’re very lucky to have them.

“I’ve gotten to know them. Yesterday I popped into the nursery because I was walking in the garden. They let me join them and we had a nice little conversation. After a time you recognise them, they recognise you. It’s almost like a visit from lovely young friends.

“It’s a lovely awakening. And not only do you have the benefit of having these lovely children – and they really are – but they can teach us something, and hopefully we can give them a bit of knowledge too.”

Eighty-eight-year-old Maurice Elston, who moved to the home shortly after his wife died, says the visits from children gave the care home a family feel in an environment that can otherwise be isolating for elderly people.

“It’s a very good idea. Otherwise old people tend to get isolated, and the idea that you can actually talk to children and have a vague relationship with them… It’s like a family. It gives us something to do. It’s good fun and they seem to enjoy it too.”

Research has shown that adults who experienced close intergenerational interaction are less prone to depression and have better physical health, as well as being happier with their present life and more hopeful for the future.

Michael Stokes, a physiotherapist who works at Nightingale House and delivers the joint exercise classes, says bringing children and elderly people together is a “very natural” concept, and the physical health of residents has improved as a result.

“Having the children present in our classes is a real benefit for our residents, because they are taking part at a much more engaged level. Their enthusiasm to take part in exercise is much greater with the children in the classes,” he says.

“They really look forward to having them come along and can’t wait to see them each session. It gives them motivation to take part, and also gives them a bit of a distraction from doing mundane exercises that they otherwise might find a little bit boring. It livens it up.

“There have been improvements to their strength and activity levels since having children take part in our classes that I’ve measured through some simple tests. Their functional level has been improving and their skills of being able to stand up and balance.

“I think it’s a very natural idea to incorporate having children take part in classes with our older people in society. It brings people a lot of happiness to see the joy of children taking part in a fun way.”

Apples and Honey nursery opened on the Nightingale House site last September last year. It is a social project run with a Jewish ethos, but open to children of all faiths, cultures and backgrounds.