Intergenerational art project breaks down barriers between young and old

Alive! is a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for older people by enabling participation in meaningful activities.

Paint Pals, an intergenerational art project developed by Alive! in 2011, connects South West care homes with local schools to provide residents and children with the chance to share interests and memories through painted postcards.

The project started five years ago when art workshop leader Deborah Feiler became inspired to find a way of encouraging communication between older people and young children and ‘remembered the excitement of receiving a letter from a pen friend as a child’.

Intergenerational barriers

Since then “Paint Pals has been created to find a meaningful way of breaking down intergenerational barriers between care homes and their local communities - a way which would benefit and nourish the well-being of both older people living in care and children in local schools,” said Isobel Jones, project coordinator at Alive!

“Too often, many older people in care homes do not regularly see children, however, Paint Pals provide this contact through the swapping of painted cards and planned visits.

“When an older person living with dementia or Alzheimer's disease receives a card from their Paint Pal, their joy - and sometimes astonishment - is deeply moving to see,” she added.

The creative sessions are designed to be effective for older people and those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

As the number of people living with the condition is expected to reach one million by 2025, sharing paintings and messages can help to improve quality of life through cognitive stimulation, social interaction and meaningful engagement.

The emphasis with Paint Pals is on making marks with paint which means that older people who may be unable to write can be very much at the heart of the project with the support from their younger ‘Pals’.

Alive! encourages its younger participants to visit their Paint Pals in residential care homes three times each year. The scheme offers both the residents and children the chance to chat, reminisce and paint together, providing a thought-provoking experience for both generations.

Furthermore, with an ageing population, one in ten people aged 65 and over now say they often feel lonely – the equivalent to one million people.

'Deeply empowering'

Research has revealed that loneliness and social isolation can be harmful to an individual’s health, as lacking social connections is a comparable risk factor for smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and can be worse than well-known risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity.

However, since its introduction, Paint Pals has successfully helped to prevent these feelings of loneliness experienced by older people.

An activities co-ordinator at St Monica's Trust recently wrote to staff at Redland Junior School following a Paint Pals visit. The letter said: “Your visits mean so much to our residents and it is wonderful how they 'light up'. Every time the pupils visit, I marvel at how they naturally converse and communicate with our residents. It is particularly interesting to observe the pupils giving the residents the opportunity to make their own choices.

“The Paint Pals scheme has become a very special and important aspect of the group. The visits from the Redland High School Paint Pals has lifted the residents' spirits no end with a very visible impact on their well-being.

“At one school the children are starting to visit the home with their parents outside of school time, which shows how strong their relationships have become. All these interactions are deeply empowering to older people, who as a result, feel a greater belonging in their local community.

“I never cease to be amazed at how children naturally break down barriers and how such strong links can be built despite the generation gap. The Paint Pals scheme is one of the best and most positive things we have at St Monica's.”

Parents at Redland High junior school have also commented on the benefits of the project. Ian and Lynne Chancellor, added: “We're glad that Paint Pals is proving so worthwhile, and of course providing a valuable bridge between old people and the young, leading to a greater knowledge and understanding.”

Alive! currently run 13 projects across Bristol, Bath and North Somerset and is reaching a greater number of older people living in care each year.

The first Paint Pals project is still running five years since it started, while schools have waiting lists of children who want to join the scheme. Children can start their involvement when they are aged six to seven-years-old and are able to continue until the end of primary school.

Meaningful activity

Commenting on the project's success, Ms Feiler added: “It is wonderful to see how Paint Pals has grown - the enjoyment for each group has been wonderful to see and most importantly, the project gives an opportunity for older people in care to be appreciated by children in their community.

“Our ultimate goal is to bring about cultural and legislative change so that quality of life factors such as choice, learning, and meaningful activity are a fundamental right for all older people in care. We actively seek opportunities to influence policy makers by engaging them in discussion at local, regional and national level, for example at conferences, through partnerships and forums.”

Alive! is a charity dedicated to engaging with older people in care home settings through meaningful activity; providing person-centred activity sessions, training care staff and advocating for older people with policy and decision makers.

For more information about Alive! and their projects visit: www.aliveactivities.org.