Cooperation project “Young and old together”

WABE daycare centres have collaborated with care centres of the PFLEGEN & WOHNEN HAMBURG senior care agency as part of the “Jung und Alt gemeinsam“ (“Young and Old Together“) joint project, which has already garnered several awards. The close proximity of the senior citizens and children encourages sharing, dialogue and mutual learning. In fun and playful activities, the life experience and composure of the older generation complements the curiosity and ease of the children. This has resulted in true cross-generational exchanges, to the benefit of everyone involved. What started out as an education initiative has resulted in intergenerational get-togethers becoming the norm as the duration of the project has been extended. They sing, play, cook, read, dance and celebrate together and develop emotional bonds.

The cooperation is cross-carrier and connects WABE eV with PFLEGEN & WOHNEN HAMBURG at four locations in Hamburg. Particularly noteworthy is the conscious structural planning in advance (barrier-free access, height-adjustable tables for working together, floor-to-ceiling glass window fronts, passages inside the building and jointly designed outdoor areas).

The Farmsen and Elfsaal WABE daycare centers are structurally integrated into the senior citizens’ facility, while the Alsterklang and Farbenspiel WABE daycare centers are in the immediate vicinity. A jointly developed framework concept, in which the principles of the cooperation are laid down, forms the basis for the cooperation.

The furnishing tandems cooperate in a variety of ways. Regular joint events form the basis of the cooperation.

The following joint activities can be found in the facility cooperations on site:

  • shared reading hours
  • singing and making music together
  • walking and exploring together
  • shared outdoor gardening
  • cooking and baking together
  • joint gymnastics exercises and movement games
  • jointly organized celebrations
  • joint performances in music and theater
  • Joint trips to museums or cultural events

The possibility of passing on experience and knowledge is felt to be extremely valuable by the older people and the children involved are curious and interested. Values such as esteem and respect for the lifetime achievements of older people are perceived directly by the children. Modern zeitgeist and new knowledge, represented by the young families and their children, are experienced in everyday practice by senior citizens and their relatives. Common experiences create emotional connections, bring additional “life” into the respective houses, open them up for all generations and thus help to reduce fear of the unknown. Children, seniors and parents keep bringing in ideas, which often result in new activities or projects.

Would you like to get an idea of our successful cooperation project? Feel free to visit one of our public events. We are looking forward to your coming.