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Community service provider Lutheran Services has created a weekly intergenerational program in a bid to combat loneliness in older Australians.
The Moving Moments program has 32 seniors from Biloela, northwest of Brisbane, currently registered on the program where older adults take part in weekly activities with local kindies, a school, and TAFE.
Participating kindergartens include St Joseph’s and Coo-Inda and Prospect Creek State School, 10 kilometres west of Biloela.
Moving Moments’ program coordinator Judy Mazzer said the program has been overwhelmingly successful in creating lasting friendships while improving participants’ wellbeing since its launch in 2021 with a goal to reverse the impact of isolation.
“The benefits of the beautiful friendships forged between some of oldest and youngest members of the town has gone above our expectations,” Ms Mazzer said.
“The program is treasured by our members, the children, teachers, and parents. The children call the seniors ‘their VIPs’ and when the see their Moving Moments friends around the town they call out an excited ‘Hello VIP.’”
Ms Mazzer said that most of the children don’t have older family members living in the area so through their interactions with the VIPs they learn social skills, respect and communication by reading books together, playing games, doing art and craft, or sharing lunch.
“I had one member of the group tell me ‘if I hadn’t become involved in Moving Moments I would have died of loneliness’. This comment brought home to me the importance of this program and its positive benefits have spread to younger generations of the community,’’ Ms Mazzer said.