ARU Research Report 2019

14 The Up Project What we Found What Were the Initial Challenges in Implementing the Project and How Were These Managed? The primary challenge which emerged was overcoming initial apprehensions. In describing their initial thoughts about the Up project, the children, teaching staff and care home staff alike expressed apprehensions about how interactions between children and older adults with dementia might unfold. In the care home, staff were concerned that some older adults might not tolerate the noise and numbers of people generated by the children’s visits. They were equally concerned how some might engage with the children, either in their actual ability to engage which has been limited by illness, or in their behaviour. In relation to the latter, care home staff explained that some older adults might exhibit behaviour which the children, without insight into dementia, might find distressing. The key to addressing this was keeping the children’s visit to one designated area each week, and to allow older adults to choose if they come, and how often. There were also more practical concerns relating to the children coming in and security of the care home, but as one member of care home staff summarised ‘it all blended nicely.’ ‘I think to start with, when we first got told about it, it was how our residents going to react to having children around? That was a concern of everybody’s I think but personally that’s one of the things I was thinking about is how are they going to interact with the children?’ (Care home staff) ‘Because there are some [older adults] that you’re talking to them nicely one minute and the next minute they might get a bit nasty. Children probably wouldn’t understand that; we do because we deal with it and we understand they’re not doing it on purpose but maybe the children might be a bit put out...’ (Care Home Staff) The children’s initial anxieties were related to meeting new people in a new environment, but primarily meeting older adults with dementia. Some were familiar with the word ‘dementia’ but to most it was new, as was a care home. Like care home staff, children described their anticipations about how older adults with dementia might behave or react towards them. They were concerned that it might be challenging to form new relationships with the older adults with dementia, given that they might become confused, forget who they were or be limited in their ability to communicate back. It was interesting however, as quickly as children had described their concerns, they shortly qualified that these had been unfounded and they soon adapted to the new environment and new people within it. ‘Because it felt weird just meeting new people, because you’ve never seen them, never spoken to them, so it was really weird.’ (Child 7) ‘I think I was really excited because I’d never been before, and also I was a bit nervous at the same time, because some of them had dementia and I didn’t knowwhat to say at first, if they didn’t understand. But I was alright in the end, when I went on the second one [visit].’ (Child 1) To support children through their initial concerns, teaching staff highlighted the integral role of familiar, supportive and consistent adults to accompany them during visits. They explained that through these points of trust children could be reassured in a new environment, describing their calm approach to all visits and their modelling of appropriate behaviour. This modelling was deferred to particularly when children encountered unexpected or difficult interactions. The foundation of skills and understanding from which this modelling stems is experience, which teaching staff described gaining through the consistent and collaborative relationships they have with the care home. ‘We were adamant that it was familiar adults that went with them. So, I would say it had to be people that the children knew because if they do find it daunting they need somebody there who can support them, who can model and say, “This is what you do,” so that it is just a natural, calm,