Maintaining intergenerational relationships at Birchwood House
In today’s climate, there is a divide between the different generations, meaning younger generations often fail to understand older people, and vice versa. For the elderly, this divide can be particularly isolating – whilst the younger generation has lots of peers and family, older individuals have smaller social circles.
At Birchwood House, we recognise the detrimental effect of this divide, and we aim for our residents’ connections with other generations to be strengthened, in order to combat this isolation. We do this by bringing the younger community to the House, such as welcoming a beautiful performance from the Solefield School Chamber Choir last December.
But we find we can best maintain intergenerational relationships through welcoming and encouraging younger visitors, particularly grandchildren. We host regular events, allowing residents, staff and also families to enjoy the celebrations. Our previous summer party was a great success, with our Great Gatsby theme inspiring some fantastic 20s outfits! In our Activities, we make sure there is something for everyone, especially when the little ones come to visit. In this way, a lot of our projects – such as cooking and baking with our Activities Lead Lizzie – emphasise collaboration, so grandchildren can create something alongside our residents, and they can share that special memory together.
Benefits for the older generation
Using these activities to strengthen family bonds is beneficial for lots of reasons, but we find the increased emotional support to be most important for our residents’ well-being. Grandchildren can often provide a sense of security for grandparents. Not only does this help against feelings of isolation, but allowing our residents to see their role in their grandchildren’s lives helps to develop a sense of purpose. This is incredibly motivating, and having regular visiting time with grandchildren can also provide a sense of continuity and comfort.
Benefits for the younger generation
And it’s not just our residents that benefit from these intergenerational relationships. With regular contact, our residents can share stories and impart their wisdom to their grandchildren. This could be explaining their cultural heritage (allowing them to share their traditions), or perhaps just some general pointers for the future! But advice from a life well-lived is always worthwhile, and we encourage our residents to share their advice with the younger community wherever possible.
For this young generation, visiting grandparents can also bring lots of social and developmental benefits. Experiencing a care home can help teach children the concept of aging. It allows children a space to ask their questions and better understand the challenges the elderly face. This then gives parents, or other adults, an opportunity to explain how the elderly can best be supported, and correct any misconceptions a child may have. Understanding their grandparents can also contribute to a better understanding of family dynamics, and associating a Home as a place of care can help alleviate fears of ageing in later life.
Embracing diversity
At Birchwood House, we accept the differences between each generation, and the unique skill set we can all bring to wider society. In encouraging grandchildren to visit, we aim to allow others to embrace this diversity, allowing both generations to bring their ideas and perspectives together.
We find this is strengthened when both generations are given opportunities to create those shared memories. Spending dedicated time with a generation different from your own can teach you skills you didn’t know you needed, and we encourage intergenerational relationships not just in Birchwood House, but in wider society itself.
Want to learn more about how Birchwood House creates memories and is maintaining intergenerational relationships? Check out our Events page to see what our residents have been enjoying!
