A PLAYGROUP in a Brisbane aged care facility is like ‘a breath of fresh air’, says one of the home’s residents who looks forward to fortnightly visits by a group of mums and their toddlers.
Mona Bogaart, who lives at St Paul’s Villa in Bardon, is one of a group of residents at the facility who participate when the playgroup is held there every second Friday morning.
‘I think it’s lovely to see the little ones, and the mothers – they’re lovely too,’ Mrs Bogaart said.
Bringing the old and young together through the playgroups is the idea of Bardon parishioner and mother Liz Guy.
She had tried the idea successfully elsewhere, and decided to gather a few other Bardon parishioners to start a playgroup at St Paul’s.
Her thinking was that many residents in aged care facilities did not have the chance to interact with children.
‘The kids benefit from it too, and the old people just love it – to see the kids,’ she said.
Mrs Bogaart said all the residents enjoyed the interaction.
Centre care manager at St Paul’s Villa, Lesley Massey, said the interaction between the children and the residents was ‘absolutely fantastic’.
Mrs Guy is keen for the idea to catch on in other parishes.
