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Child's play brightens the day

Seniors look forward to monthly visits from kindergarten students

Residents in one Orillia long-term-care home have found the key to staying young at heart.

It involves five-year-old kindergartners from Harriett Todd Public School.

Two years ago, Tanya Drysdale, a designated early childhood educator at Harriett Todd, visited her grandmother at the Oak Terrace Long Term Care Home. It was Halloween, so she took her kids with her.

Her grandmother’s dementia made it difficult for her to remember who she had interacted with, but it gave her joy to see the kids.

That gave the kindergarten teacher the idea of increasing intergenerational interaction, a program the kids lovingly call “meeting grandmas and grandpas.”

“That’s how they identify with them,” said Drysdale.

She started the program two years ago and plans on continuing into the new school year, hopefully being able to spend more time at the facility.

For the last two years, once every month, the children have gone to the long-term-care home and work with the residents on crafts. Every other month, said they put on a performance at the seniors’ facility.

“We could see, every time we go, it makes a difference for the seniors and our students,” said Drysdale.

The effects of the kids’ performance could be clearly seen on the seniors who attended the year-end concert at the school Tuesday afternoon.

Several kids put together performances, from hip-hop dance to spelling out the alphabet using sign language and singing and performing to a "thank you" song.

The seniors enjoyed the concert and showed their appreciation at the end of each presentation by applauding the kids.

“I like it very much,” said Verna Longtin, one of the care home residents who attended the concert. “I love children. They’re very good and very well-behaved.”

The 91-year-old said she looked forward to visits from the kids every month and would play games with them and help out with creating crafts.

“I always have a story for them,” added Longtin, talking about her interaction with the kindergartners. “And they always have a story for me.

“I love the kids around me; it makes me happy to have them hanging around.”

Staff at Oak Terrace see the value of the partnership.

“It keeps them young at heart and involved in the community,” said Lorna Cheslik, recreation assistant. “Our residents look forward to the children coming.”

And how do the kids feel about it all?

“They just love to go that one time of the month we get to go,” said Drysdale, “and they’re so disappointed when we can’t go.”

Initially, it wasn’t so, she said.

“They weren’t sure about themselves,” Drysdale said of the kids. “With time, they became more confident and outspoken.”


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Mehreen Shahid

About the Author: Mehreen Shahid

Mehreen Shahid covers municipal issues in Cambridge
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