For the past few years, the children of Macquarie Hills Community Preschool have gazed from their playground across to HammondCare Cardiff curious to learn more about the people who live there.

The children and staff watched on as the aged care home, the first purpose-built dementia village in the Hunter, was built on a former golf driving range and opened in 2019.

Plans were enthusiastically prepared for a program of intergenerational visits between Macquarie Hills Community Preschool (MHCPS), located at Florina Close, and the HammondCare Cardiff residents, all of whom live with dementia.

Then COVID-19 came along with ongoing lockdowns and health restrictions delayed indefinitely a proposed first meet-up.

Finally – after years in the making - the children and the residents have met properly for the first time. A contingent of 12 children made the inaugural visit, along with educators and a parent helper on Thursday, March 30.

The youngsters made their way to HammondCare Cardiff for a morning of singalongs, a handover of more paintings, and some morning tea. The children brought along their tapping sticks and showed their new older friends the MHCPS Acknowledgement of Awabakal Country.

HammondCare Cardiff, home to up to 99 residents living with dementia, is one of 17 specialised residential care homes operated by HammondCare in NSW, Victoria and, later this year, South Australia.

HammondCare Cardiff resident Roslyn Quinlan thanked the children on behalf of the residents for coming. “Thank you for reminding us of all our grandchildren. You have brought so much happiness to us all,” she told the children.

MHCPS Director Sue Collinson said she hoped the intergenerational experience between the pre-schoolers and HammondCare Cardiff residents will provide opportunities to develop meaningful relationships for both. 

“The pleasure and excitement that occurs with communicating one generation to another will create wonderful encounters,” Ms Collinson said.   

“It’s about the children developing understanding of community. It’s a wonderful opportunity to venture out into our local area in a meaningful way.”

“It’s about learning to care for elderly people and about connection. We hope to take groups of children to meet with friends at HammondCare Cardiff twice each term.”  

HammondCare Cardiff residential manager Laiju Benny said the visit by the children, organised with the assistance of Volunteer Co-ordinator Emma Egglestone, will help lift the resident’s feeling of well-being and their overall quality of life.

Under normal circumstances, children are not often seen around the village as the family visits tend to involve their own adult children. Grandchildren do not tend to come along. 

Ms Benny said: “The residents do enjoy having children around and it lifts their feeling of happiness”.

“They see the innocence, happiness and laughter and it brings joy into their lives.”

Despite health restrictions stopping visits in the past, there have been plenty of exchanges of artwork and gifts from both the children and the residents. Imaginatively painted rocks from the HammondCare residents still can be found in the playground.

Orchestrated messages of support and waving from the children and staff have been loud enough to hear at HammondCare Cardiff. The shout outs took place through lockdowns and on Aged Care Appreciation Day last year to encourage HammondCare Cardiff residents and staff.

Professor Susan Kurrle, HammondCare Senior Principal Research Fellow, geriatrician, and expert advisor the ABC documentary series Old People’s Home for 4-Year-Olds, said both the pre-schoolers and the Cardiff residents will experience benefit.

“It’s just so wonderful to see intergenerational programs like this being put into practice. It’s exactly what we need to see more of,” Prof Kurrle said.

HammondCare’s ambition is to set the global standard of relationship-based care, for people with complex needs, and to increase care for those that others won’t or can’t.