Nursery World - TV show aims to prove benefits of bringing young and old together

In a new experiment Channel 4 is bringing together a group of elderly care home residents and pre-school children over several weeks to assess the impact on their health, wellbeing and even life expectancy.

Many elderly residents in care homes suffer from social isolation, and according to the programme makers, 60 per cent of them have never received a single visitor.

In the new two-part series Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, screened on 1 and 2 August and available on 4OD, a group of 11 elderly care home residents and ten pre-school children will share daily activities designed by experts, who will measure and analyse the impact on the older group’s mental and physical health and emotional wellbeing.

The team of scientists - a gerentologist, a geriatrician, and a physiotherapist - will measure and analyse the older group's physical and mental progress throughout. At the end of the six-week experiment they hope to prove scientifically that bringing the two generations together can transform the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the old volunteers for the better.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included