“Before the pandemic, we had just started welcoming the local nursery school children into our care home each week. Everyone loved it – it made my residents feel young again! I worry that it still feels too risky to have so many young children inside the home. How else could we connect with children? Please don’t say on Zoom!” – Christopher, Activity Coordinator
Dear Christopher,
Nothing brings more life and energy into a care home than filling the corridors with the sound of young children! I am sure many other homes used to hold visits, before Covid reared its ugly head.
Both your home and the nursery school would benefit greatly from nurturing links. Luckily, Spring is on its way, so do arrange outdoor visits if you have the space and your policy permits. You may have to keep visiting times flexible depending on the weather.
In the garden, get your residents painting stones to hide in the garden, then invite the children to find them. The children could also paint stones at their nursery – these could be arranged in a butterfly or snail shape in the garden, for residents to admire.
If the children are not able to visit your garden, perhaps they could grow vegetable seeds in yoghurt pots at their nursery, which the residents could then plant out and eventually harvest. Remember to take photos to send to each other.
Outdoor games such as giant skittles or throwing beachballs always go down well – just ensure that all hands are sanitised regularly. There are so many options for interacting in a safe way, and sometimes just watching children playing will bring joy to your residents.
Keep the links going when the children aren’t there in person – and not via zoom! Your residents could make pom pom balls or paper kites to send to the nursery, and in return the children could create a painting to display in the communal area of your care home. Perhaps the residents and nursery school would like to be pen pals, even?
Best wishes,
Jan
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