Nursery Manager at our Hampstead Garden Suburb Nursery, Marlene Costa used to work with people with dementia and knows just how much they suffer from being isolated in normal times, let alone now.
“We’ve all noticed so many changes in the last six months, not least amongst the most isolated, older members of our community. People aren’t communicating or interacting as much as they were before the pandemic, and at the nursery, we’ve even noticed that some children are now scared of approaching others. We really wanted to find a way to help isolated people, whilst making sure we teach children to care about others, even in this new way of being”
Nursery staff will undergo training to learn more about the needs of people with dementia and will plan a program of Zoom sessions designed to promote communication between the generations.
It’s hoped that the participants will be able to join in with nursery circle time and listen to stories as if they were sitting together with the children. There are even plans to “adopt” a grandma or grandpa, send cards, food or care packs, and even visit local residential care homes and wave from the windows.
If you’re involved in a local care home, we’d love to hear from you, please message us using this form