Braehead Primary and Crosslet Nursing Home

Overview

Braehead Primary started planning for intergenerational work just prior to August 2018 when the school felt that there was a lack of community between the care home and the school. The school was also looking at personal health and social education outcomes and felt this would be a good fit.

From the school’s perspective, they were wanting to ensure that the children were respectful of the older members of the community and initially, wanted to ensure that the children had a friend in the community, who was of an older generation.

The care home and the school wanted it to be beneficial for both parties and they wanted there to be a really strong connection with the local community – for example, some of the grandparents of the pupils had acquaintances from school in the care home. There was a need to value everybody in the community.

Braehead Primary and Crosslet Nursing home won the evaluating impact category at our 2023 Excellence Awards. View the video here.  

Participants

Twenty five children aged 7-12 visit 30+ residents of Crosslet aged 60-103 each week.

Activities

Most of the time, the children would visit the care home (Once a month but sometimes as frequently as every 2 weeks).

The residents were invited to the school for Remembrance day, Easter service and the Primary 1’s nativity.

When residents came into the school, they would meet other children school and other children knew about them – so the whole school was involved.

If residents attended the nativity, one of the older children would be their ‘date’ for the event and accompany them to the performance. They did this when jam making last year – and it worked well.

The residents were also invited to the leavers’ assembly and the children held a tea party for the residents. 

A vitality course (a NHS funded exercise programme to help mobility) encouraged residents to move more. With the children’s encouragement, they did!

There is also exercise equipment in the garden of the care home which the children have done with them.

One day, they brought Alpacas and Llamas to see the residents and children.

Benefits for the Community

We have to discuss the life cycle. The parents have now expressed that the children deal with end of life. Helped them deal with their emotions.

The children have more patience and empathy which has developed better relationships with their own maternal grandparents.

More parents want to be involved – because they want to be part of the experience themselves. The project has fostered a sense of curiosity among parents about what’s going on in both environments.

Strengthened communitities - There are two wee communities (both the care home and the primary) within a wider community (Dumbarton) and now there are all these wee links

Sometimes the residents are quite isolated – so now they have their own role in their community and own story to tell. They are now part and involved with the school – celebrating together. 

Because of how comfortable they are, the children have reached out to other residents in other care homes and written a card. They wouldn’t have been confident or comfortable to do that without the intergenerational project.

Other schools have heard about the intergenerational work and would like to find out more about it – either requesting to come for a visit or develop their own practice in their school.

Benefits for the Younger People

The children are more motivated to learn. For example, if they write a story, it would normally go in a jotter or on the wall. Now, they are sending and receiving post – there’s more excitement as it is being used in a real context.

They love learning songs to perform to the residents.

Some of the older children have said that they don’t feel judged when they make a mistake, for example. The residents are very supportive. 

Parents have commented how beneficial discussing end of life has been for the children’s coping mechanism to deal with this fact of life. It’s helped them deal with their emotions. One of the children last year’s maternal gramdmother died – and the only person that child will speak to is her buddy in the care home as she’s the only one who understands. That’s something that would never have happened if we weren’t doing intergenerational work at school. Now the children have friends from a different generation – which is special in itself.

Benefits for the Older People

• Physical benefits
• Companionship
• Less stress and distress with residents because they were in a calm mood following seeing the children. 
• Provides a purpose. The children coming in generates conversation.
• The families are saying ‘what a difference’ as residents have something to talk about.
• When the families see the cards – and that they are personalised, they think the intergenerational work is fantastic.
• Having the children come in can change someone’s attitude to being in a care home – make them more positive about life, generally.

Funding

No funding required

Evaluation

School

• Video clips
• Essays from the children
• Google jam boards – post its from the children.
• Intergenerational classroom online which hosts all the children’s audio clips, photographs of those involved and their feedback.
• Evidence and observation and parent feedback.
• Children’s voice is the most important – and their levels of excitement!

Care home

• Video clips
• Essays from the children
• Google jam boards – post its from the children.
• Intergenerational classroom online which hosts all the children’s audio clips, photographs of those involved and their feedback.
• Evidence and observation and parent feedback.
• Children’s voice is the most important – and their levels of excitement!

Local Priorities

• Health and wellbeing.
• Sustainability.
• Health and fitness.
• Bridging the generations / gap.
• Improving quality of life.
• West Dunbartonshire Council Competencies of Collaboration, Communication, Character, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Citizenship.

Scottish Government – National Performance Framework – National Outcomes

This project contributes to the following outcomes:

Children and Young People - We grow up loved, safe and respected so that we realise our full potential.

Communities - We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe.

Education - We are well educated, skilled and able to contribute to society.

Health - We are healthy and active.