General News
14 July, 2023
Children bring tears of joy to residents
Horsham aged care residents were reunited with their youngest friends when kindergarten students visited them for the first time since the Covid lockdowns. Resident Patricia Taylor said the presence of the children brought tears to her eyes. "I...
Horsham aged care residents were reunited with their youngest friends when kindergarten students visited them for the first time since the Covid lockdowns.
Resident Patricia Taylor said the presence of the children brought tears to her eyes.
"I enjoyed having the kids visit and would like them to come in more often," she said.
"Their visit brought tears to my eyes. The best part was shaking hands with them."
Six youngsters from Goodstart Early Learning visited Kurrajong Lodge on Friday, where one resident was also celebrating their 100th birthday.
And the seniors were overjoyed to see the children return and show them their sensory toys.
"I told one lady how my toy works," four-year-old Koa said.
Teacher Jodie Rabl said it was a terrific interaction between young and old and said she was looking forward to continuing visits in the future.
"The children love interacting with the elderly, as some don't have elderly family around," she said.
They also celebrated resident Barbara Ellifson's 100th birthday.
"We have four-year-olds, and then we have Barb, who's 100 today, but there's still that connection between them. It just brightens up their day," Ms Rabl said.
"We've planned that on the first Friday of every month, we will bring six children for a visit."
Resident Dawn Robinson was delighted.
"I loved the conversation I had with a little girl," she said.
"It made me feel like a grandma. I would love to have them come visit again."
Kurrajong Lodge nursing unit manager Ingrid Tudias said the kindy visit was a huge boost for the residents.
"The kids coming in the lodge have a big impact on the mood of the residents, and you can see that the energy of the kids actually transfers to the residents," she said.
"Having these kids come in definitely brings out that energy."
Kurrajong Lodge Horsham has 36 residents in the facility and 47 staff members to take care of them.
Barbara Ellifson turns 100: page 4