Intergenerational Activities at Alexander House

At our care home in Exeter, we have introduced a new intergenerational activity into our weekly activities programme; Mother & Toddler group.

We have been welcoming mothers from the local community and their young children to our home to spend time socialising and playing with the residents. The aim of these groups is to bring people together but most importantly the residents and children can spend time with one another, bridging the gap between the generations and encouraging positive social relationships.

The groups provide a lot of support to those who may feel isolated and as a result feel lonely, sad, or anxious. To have all different ages of members from our local community congregate here at our home together is really special and provides a variety of benefits to all those involved.

The benefits of intergenerational activities are very well-documented and include advantages such as helping build confidence, supporting communication skills, and reducing the effects of loneliness and social isolation.

Socialising with the mothers and children has left our residents feeling elated, as they love reminiscing and sharing stories from when they were young. The mothers are able to make new friends and it also has a fantastic impact on the development of the children, as it exposes them to positive social interaction and communication.

Collaborating with the younger members of our community has been great for the residents at Alexander House Care Home and we look forward to welcoming the mothers, their children, and other younger people from our local schools and nurseries to our home for more intergenerational activities soon.