One retirement home outside of Vancouver, British Columbia has recently been testing that theory by welcoming a school bus full of children every Tuesday to their community.
According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail newspaper, Columbia Garden Village retirement community in the town of Invermere has a group of children from a local school come to their community every week for their daily activities, including lessons, arts and crafts, as well as play time.
The result has been significant for the seniors.
“You wouldn’t think the children would want to spend the time with us, but they do,” one resident, 84 year-old Kay Maras told the newspaper.
The concept originated from the school’s superintendent and his wife, who is a kindergarten teacher, after they read research that said children who grow up without a close relationship to a grandparent are missing out on important life lessons.
According to the news source, this initiative is the first of its kind in Canada, but based on the response it has seen, one can expect to see it expand to assisted living communities and retirement homes across North America.