Intergenerational care is transforming early years education and elderly care across the UK, with southwest London leading the way.
In a time when over one million older people in the UK report feeling frequently lonely and 600,000 leave their homes once a week or less, initiatives like these offer a proactive solution.
At the forefront of this movement is Apples and Honey Nightingale in Clapham, the UK’s first intergenerational care establishment, founded by Judith Ish-Horowicz MBE.
Judith Ish-Horowicz said: “I never had grandparents myself.
“It wasn’t until I had children and saw the relationship between my parents, my husband’s parents, and the children I had, that I realised quite what I’d missed and how important it is to engage with all generations.
“When I opened my nursery in 1991, I knew I wanted to create opportunities for children to engage with older people — to see the aging process as a natural part of life and build those precious relationships.”
This vision became a reality when Apples and Honey Nightingale opened in 2017.
The nursery shares the grounds of Nightingale House, a Jewish care home, enabling daily interactions between the children and elderly residents, known as “grandfriends”.
As part of the Nightingale community, the children benefit from enriching activities alongside their “grandfriends” such as cooking, gardening, singing, painting, and harvesting honey from the bee hives on their grounds.
Studies show that intergenerational activities such as these improve children’s social development and enhance the well-being of elderly participants, addressing critical issues like social isolation and well-being.
Ish-Horowicz said: “I think it would also combat a lot of the mental health issues that we come across nowadays, where people feel like they don’t belong.
“Here, there is community in the care home, and suddenly you feel like you still have a purpose in life.”
Residents at Nightingale House speak passionately about the program’s impact.
Edith, 92, said: “Seeing the children and having them here, has given me a reason to live, to keep going.
“I was very depressed before, and I just wanted to die.
“Now that I see them here, I feel it encourages me to keep going, to keep trying.”
Loneliness is a severe health risk and studies show that it is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) recognises the importance of social prescribing — connecting people with community activities and support to address social, emotional, and practical needs.
Evidence from the University of Westminster shows that social prescribing reduces GP consultations by 28% and A&E attendances by 24%.
Dr Rosie Merriman, GP at Clapham Park Group Practice, said: “Older people frequently present to healthcare settings with issues relating to or caused by social isolation.
“Trying to address these using a medical model is totally ineffective and wastes valuable appointments.
“Intergenerational care is an effective and beautiful solution to this, benefiting both the youngest and oldest members of our community.”
Ish-Horowicz also leads the UK’s first recognised qualification program in intergenerational care, training others to replicate this model.
Ish-Horowicz said: “I see this as creating societal change because it combats ageism, you don’t have preconceptions, you don’t stereotype people, you actually have relationships and you can then see how well you fit into the chain of existence.
“With joined-up thinking across education, healthcare, and urban planning, we can achieve incredible financial, social, and emotional benefits.”
Featured image credit: Judith Ish-Horowicz
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