Strong friendships are flourishing at Mercy Health’s Mercyville aged care facility with young students from a local school, despite the current restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s because children based near Whitford Catholic Primary School have been writing to residents at the not-for-profit home to build friendships and companionship during this time of social distancing, while the nursing home has been operating under restrictions.
The Years 1 to 6 pupils have been writing letters and drawing pictures every week as part of an intergenerational partnership, which encourages connections between young and old, in the “old fashioned” way.
Mercyville Service Manager Alison Devonport said the residents had been overjoyed to receive the regular correspondence from the children over the last couple of months.
“Right now, ensuring our seniors have meaningful connections with others, particularly the next generation, is very important and we’ve been so grateful to the students at Whitford Catholic Primary School for bringing so much joy to our residents by corresponding with them regularly,” she said.
“Receiving the letters has not only brought a great deal of happiness into the lives of our residents, it has also taken them on a trip down memory lane, where they have recalled receiving letters from family and friends in their younger years.
“This initiative has been such a success that we’re very keen to see it continue, even after social distancing restrictions ends, whenever that might be,” she added.
Mercy Health is a Catholic not-for-profit provider of care founded by the Sisters of Mercy and grounded in a 2000-year tradition of caring for those in need. The organisation provides health and aged care services throughout Victoria, southern New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
In Western Australia, the organisation cares for more than 300 people across six residential aged care homes, with an additional 78 retirement living units.