ARU Research Report 2019

30 The Up Project The findings of this preliminary research indicate the experiences for children, older adults and the care home in taking part in the Up project were overwhelmingly positive. There were initial apprehensions expressed regarding how interactions between older adults with dementia and children may occur, however these concerns were quickly negotiated and relieved. The journey and progress from this starting point is quite a remarkable one, in which children navigated a new environment and new people, to discover new relationships with older adults for mutual gain. For children, the visits and interactions aimed to provide an everyday and real life context, providing circumstances in which growth, confidence, communication and emotional awareness could be fostered. For older adults, engagement with the activities and the children provided opportunities for them to demonstrate their unique personalities, skills and caring traits, irrelevant of their disabilities or illness. Seeing the older adults in this way allowed the children and staff to recognise them in new ways. For the children particularly, it provided them with an understanding of ageing, dementia and the lives of others. They described the evolution in their misconceptions about the ‘old’ and about dementia, now viewing older adults as normal people who could offer much insight with their life experiences. For older adults with dementia, they were described as engaging with activities and the children, in ways care home staff and relatives suggested they did not with others, or other activities within the home. Although the enjoyment was recognised to be transient for those with dementia, the momentary happiness it offered these older adults was acknowledged nonetheless. The Up project was not only felt to impact the older adults and children involved, it too rippled over into the care home environment. The care home, which simultaneously serves as a home and a workplace, was said to be transformed when the children were in attendance. The atmosphere was described as livened and uplifted, impacting on the mood and behaviour of older adults. It also spilled over into the care home staffs’ work environment, who described the infectiousness with which the older adults’ joy had affected them and their approach to work. The activities and engagement with the children were also described as contributing a new dimension to care home life, breaking up monotony and offering a uniquely different experience to standard activities. The influence of the project upon the community was also described by care home staff and relatives of older adults. They explained how in bringing children in, the outside world and community had been brought in too, along with a feeling older adults were acknowledged as members. Community was fostered between the school and care home through the recognition of both the children and older adults as assets of this community. This community not only fostered connectivity, but also skills and understanding in the children which could provide the foundation for communities that are inclusive of all, including those who might be segregated or isolated, such as those living with care homes. There were challenges in the implementation of the Up project, and indeed it is not an experience in which all children and older adults thrive. While described in rarity, there were older adults and children for whom they choose not to engage fully with visits, either relating to their confidence, the novelty of Summary of Findings