Kandahar Home resident Connie Walls shares a smile with a young visitor from the Wairarapa Intergenerational Playgroup.

At Enliven’s Kandahar Home in Masterton, old and young are never far from each other.

Intergenerational playgroups, student concerts, school trips and visits from sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are part of daily life at Kandahar Home. Residents can often be found supporting school projects or knitting children’s clothes.

Kandahar Home manager Peter Newman says opportunities for elders to enjoy time in the company of children are vital to their wellbeing and a key part of the elder-centred Enliven philosophy.

“The Enliven philosophy emphasises the importance of helping elders stay connected to children, plants and animals, as part of creating a home that’s full of life. 

“A lot of the residents, for instance, have grown up in multi-generational households and having children around is part of what makes Kandahar feel like home to them,” he explains.

Intergenerational activities have gained much attention in recent years, with researchers documenting the many benefits they hold for elders, including a greater sense of purpose and broader social networks.

But the time the elders spend with children doesn’t just benefit them, Kandahar Home recreation officer Di McCuish notes. 

“It’s a great opportunity for the children to learn how to socialise with people of different ages and life experience, and to learn from their elders what it was like to be a child growing up in a different era.

“Of course, the children also get showered with attention while they’re here. Just imagine having a dozen grandparents doting on you!”

Enliven’s Kandahar Home and sister-site Kandahar Court in Masterton offer rest home, hospital and dementia care,  short-term respite, health recovery and day programmes for Wairarapa elders. To learn more about the homes or Enliven’s holistic philosophy, visit www.enlivencentral.org.nz or call the team on 06 370 0447.