The joyous laughter of children echoed throughout HammondCare dementia village as preschoolers formed a magical bond with aged residents.
A two-year pandemic hiatus left the Macquarie Hills Community Preschool pupils eagerly waiting to visit the dementia patients in Cardiff.
To fill the void during the COVID period, the preschool sent paintings and messages of support.
"On several occasions, they organised to wave and yell across the street to show their support to staff and residents affected by lockdowns," a HammondCare spokesperson said.
Fortunately the time to visit came on Thursday morning, March 30 when a contingent of 12 children made their first visit with singalongs, gift exchanging and a morning tea.
The interaction was worth the wait, bringing smiles to the faces of the aged residents.
HammondCare resident Roslyn Quinlan thanked the children on behalf of everyone.
"Thank you for reminding us of all our grandchildren. You have brought so much happiness to us all," she said.
HammondCare Cardiff residential manager Laiju Benny said future visits by the children will help lift residents feelings of well-being and their overall quality of life.
"The residents do enjoy having children around and it lifts their feeling of happiness," she said.
"They see the innocence, happiness and laughter and it brings joy into their lives."
HammondCare senior principal research fellow professor, geriatrician, and expert adviser to the ABC documentary series Old People's Home for 4-Year-Olds, Susan Kurrle said both the children and 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," she said.
Macquarie Hills Community Preschool director Sue Collinson hoped to see meaningful relationships develop between the preschoolers and dementia patients.
"The pleasure and excitement that occurs with communicating one generation to another will create wonderful encounters," she 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," she said.
The preschool has plans to take groups of children to meet with their new friends at the village twice each term.
Built on a former golf driving range in 2019, HammondCare Cardiff is the only specialised dementia village in the Hunter.
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