From a story in the Los Angeles Times:
The elderly woman, white hair brushed and tidy, peach lipstick matching her velour jogging pants, isn’t quite sure why she goes to the adult day-care center in Van Nuys, and can’t remember how long she’s been going there.
“My memory isn’t so good anymore,” says Irene Overlee, 88, of North Hollywood.
But she remembers every word of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and that’s all that matters right now to the half-dozen wild-haired toddlers in the center of a circle made up of Overlee and four other seniors. The children are dancing and clapping as the seniors chant the spider ditty — until, on cue, Overlee and the others reach the line about the rain coming down. In unison, they upturn the contents of a paper bag, causing crumpled, colorful tissue paper to rain down on the floor.
The toddlers squeal with delight. They want to do it again and again. They pick up the papers and refill the bags held open by the five senior citizens, their fun undiluted by the fact that the adults around them have canes, walkers, hearing aids and, in some cases, mild to moderate dementia. These things are all very familiar, for the seniors and youngsters attend day care at the same site.
Why this idea has been so slow in coming in our society is beyond me.
Key fact:
Today, 45% of grandparents live more than 200 miles from their most distant grandchild, according to a survey by AARP. Not coincidentally, that’s exactly the percentage of grandparents who say they don’t see their grandchildren often enough.
NewMexiKen lives more than 1,000 miles from my nearest grandchild. What’s wrong with this picture?
Oh NO! Over a thousand miles? How often do you get to see them?
And I’ve never before thought of seniors and toddlers together in daycare, but what an EXCELLENT idea. Fun, stimulating, and beneficial for both.