SOURCE : https://ourlearningjourney.sg/index.php/2024/08/20/this-cna-docuseries-shows-how-intergenerational-relationships-can-make-a-difference-to-the-young-and-old/
By Angilita Charles
As visitors enter the St. John’s- St. Margaret’s (SJSM) Village, they may come across the elderly residents from the SJSM Nursing Home wheeled out for their morning “walk” together with our children from Little Seeds Preschool (SJSM) enjoying their outdoor nature walk at the same time.
When they cross paths, the organic interaction between both always warms my heart. The teachers and children will take time to greet the elderly residents and the elderly residents will be gleaming from ear to ear, excited to exchange greetings with our little ones!
Finding creative ways to bond during Covid
This spontaneous interaction was not possible when LSP (SJSM) first opened its doors as part of the Village – which houses the church, preschool and nursing home – in September 2022, as safe distancing measures were mandatory for both the vulnerable children and elderly.
However, once Covid restrictions relaxed, we finally organised our first face-to-face meeting between the children and elderly residents in August 2023, while ensuring that additional safety measures were kept in place.
Blessed with the Village’s intentionally designed infrastructural spaces for bonding, this unique setting allowed us to hold our first celebrations together on the link bridge which connects both the preschool and nursing home on the fourth floor.
We stood facing each other, parted like the “red sea”, and celebrated National Day together. The children were extremely excited to perform for their new friends while the elderly residents were very sporting and sang along to “Stand up for Singapore” and “Chan Mali Chan”, cheering the children on.
Creating an Intergenerational Programme
Just like new neighbours in a new neighbourhood, the kampong spirit slowly grew through structured and unstructured activities arranged by the church, nursing home and our preschool, resulting in the birth of our Intergenerational (IG) programme.
Structured activities included art and craft sessions, simple games and “Recycled Drumming” sessions conducted weekly over 8 months.
For some elderly residents, it was their first time playing an instrument. Coordinating the young and the young at heart was not an easy task, but their months of hard work paid off when they gave an amazing performance during an appreciation lunch for the nurses on “Nurses Day.”
The new band in town gained popularity and was requested to perform again on a larger scale for the SJSM Village Christmas celebration, Christmas @ Dover 2023.
Just like neighbours, the elderly residents and children celebrated festivities together. On Christmas last year, the children went over to the wards for caroling and blessed the elderly residents with special decorated ornaments.
During Chinese New Year this year, the children went over to “拜年” (exchange New Year greetings) with oranges and wished the elderly residents auspicious blessings. The elderly residents in return were excited to bless the children with a “紅包”(red packet).
All these bonding activities have given the elderly residents a renewed sense of purpose, hope and dignity.
Some of them said that they looked forward to meeting the children during morning walks and yearned to hear their laughter and cries when the school day starts. It gives them a sense of excitement with the children so close to them!
As for the children, they learnt to respect the space they share with these elderly residents, by sharing a smile, a greeting or even a high five!
For some of the children who do not live with or have grandparents around, they learnt how to bond with the elderly through these simple activities as well as respect the older generation and their value in society.
This special relationship between the church, nursing home and preschool in the Village allowed us to foster inclusivity and build a strong bond as a community.
Embarking on a 10-week journey for a new docuseries
It came as a pleasant surprise when ChannelNews Asia (CNA) picked up on our unique Intergenerational Programme and invited us to embark on a 10-week IG Journey for a new documentary series.
The idea was simple. Six children would be paired with six elderly residents from the SJSM Nursing Home. Together, they embark on an extraordinary journey to discover if bonds can transcend the vast differences in age, language, and life experiences.
Would these unlikely pairs bridge the gap and forge deep connections, or would their contrasting worlds prove too challenging to unite?
Filmed in SJSM Village, the docuseries features our children, teachers and staff and hopes to encourage Singaporeans to embrace IG as a way of life that will improve the quality of life and learning of both the young and old.
Each week, the six children and six residents would come together to participate in various IG activities such as making onigiri, participating in a relay race and even a visit to the River Safari!
During the 10-week programme, one thing that stood out for me was the warmth, humility and hospitality the elderly residents showed to the children.
Despite one of the residents, Aunty Low, being non-verbal due to her condition, it did not stop her from communicating with the children in her own way.
As she loves to draw, she shared one of her prized possessions with the children – a collection of her favourite drawings! The children swarmed around her to see her drawings as she proudly flipped the pages. To Aunty Low’s delight, the children admired each drawing and asked her questions which her nurse helped to answer.
This simple interaction showed Aunty Low’s resilience and determination to share her passion through her drawings and to communicate with the children through non-verbal cues such as nodding, smiling, and hand gestures.
On a few occasions, the naturally curious children asked about where the elderly residents’ live. They were not able to understand that the elderly residents stayed at the nursing home and did not go home to their own houses like them. So when we had the opportunity to visit the elderly residents at their ward, it was an eye opener for the children!
One of the residents we visited was Uncle Ang. He was so excited to see us from afar and waved to us eagerly to come over. The children were also very excited to visit him at his “home”. They were very curious about his surroundings and asked: “Where is your living room? ” “Where is your kitchen?” “Where do you have your lunch?” Uncle Ang’s home was so different from theirs and they were trying to make sense of what they were seeing.
Sweet Uncle Ang immediately gave them a house tour. He showed them the lovely view from his window and even described the birds he spotted outside his window. He enthusiastically demonstrated how to move the bed up and down with the remote control, which entertained the children. I could see the joy on Uncle Ang’s face having his little friends come over to visit him.
These elderly residents in the nursing home have very little in their confined space, but yet they are so proud of what they have and are so big-hearted and generous when interacting with the children.
As 2 Corinthians 9-11 says: “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God,” I believe that both our children and the elderly residents have been blessed by the heartwarming interactions and all of us, including the teachers and staff members, have all experienced God’s love through this journey.
I am so thankful to have the opportunity to help the children bond and make connections with the elderly residents through these activities and I hope that these precious bonds will last for a long, long time.
“It Takes A Village” will officially premiere on 24 Aug 9pm, over 4 consecutive nights. The series will also be available on meWATCH and CNA’s Youtube channel after its debut broadcast.
To find out more about our preschools, visit https://littleseeds.edu.sg/.
Angilita Charles is the former Principal of Little Seeds Preschool (St. John’s- St. Margaret’s)
