A woman with dementia who hadn’t interacted with people in a long while remembered how to laugh and smile when she was a paid a visit by a Highlands baby.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Twice a month the residents of Bowral House eagerly await visits from some very special little people.
A few months ago Highlands mum Kelly Karlson had the idea of organising a type of mothers group to visit the elderly at a nursing home.
“I saw a feel good article about people doing this in another place and I thought it was a great initiative,” Kelly said.
“I had a baby and I knew a lot of other mums with young babies so we decided to get in touch with some nursing homes.”
Bowral House was first to respond, and Kelly’s first visit was certainly one to remember.
“Bowral House said there would be about eight residents there but when we arrived there were 25 of them, all with big smiles on their faces,” she said.
Each visit, residents ask Kelly and the other mums questions about the babies, watch them play, read to them and sit the them on their laps.
Kelly said she didn’t expect the visits would have such a positive impact on the residents.
“There are residents with dementia who don’t really communicate and we’ve seen them start talking and become quite animated when they are with the babies,” she said.
“Its amazing for [us mums]- we love watching the residents sit there with a smile, we are so glad we are able to give them that opportunity.”
Bowral House recreation coordinator Diane Stellar said it had been a very successful experience.
“It’s been very good for the residents. It stimulates memories of motherhood and in some people it inspires them to talk when they usually don’t say much,” she said.
“It gives them a good sense of community across the generations which is great for them socially.”
Ms Stellar said the visits had only gotten better as the weeks went on.
“The babies are becoming more comfortable and are really enjoying it and the mums really love it too.”
While the program was intended to make the elderly residents smile, it’s also had a strong familial aspect for the babies and their mums.
“A lot of the mums don’t have family around here so we are able to expose our children to another generation that they wouldn't get to interact with otherwise,” Kelly said.
Kelly is an occupational therapist and said the program was important from a functional perspective.
“Our goal with occupational therapy is to provide meaningful occupations for people and this is certainly one,” she said.
Madeline Crittenden
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
