Seniors and children form lasting bonds through Brantford program

A program in Brantford has been bringing children’s laughter to a long-term care homes and hospices for almost two decades.

St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre and St. Jospeh’s YMCA Child Care Centre are just steps away from each other on Wayne Gretzky Parkway.

Every week, the seniors and children meet up, share stories and play together.

“After [the children] visit, [the seniors] always have a brighter smile on their face,” Steve Linesman, a recreational therapist with St. Joseph’s, said. “You just have a little more energy. It just lights up their eyes and it really makes their day.”

The children have given the seniors an affectionate nickname: Grand Pals.

“It’s nice for them because some children don’t have grandparents,” said Michelle Wright, St. Joseph’s YMCA Centre supervisor. “It’s really nice for them just to interact with the elderly.”

For some of the program participants, the bond goes even deeper.

Kennedy gets to see Marie, her actual great-grandmother, every week because Marie is a resident at St. Joseph’s.

For others at the long-term care home, it offers a chance to create connection that they might have missed out on in their lives.

“They look so cute. I never had any [grandchildren],” said St. Joseph’s resident Evelyn Dannunzio. “I’m almost bawling.”

The two groups also get a chance to learn a little something from each other.

“Watching them play, their energy – some of them are a little shy, but after a while, they come out and they’ll start talking and playing,” St. Joseph’s resident Donna Black said.

The program was briefly paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it started up again this past May.

“It’s just fantastic to see the enjoyment that it brings to both sides,” said Wright.