With dementia challenging more than 24,000 people in Ottawa and Renfrew County, staff and researchers at Perley Health centre are turning to an unlikely source of support — young children — to help improve seniors’ quality of life.
A partnership between Andrew Fleck Children’s Services and Perley Health will introduce an integrated, intergenerational care facility by spring 2026.
Perley Health runs playgroups that welcome children from Andrew Fleck into the seniors’ village to interact with residents on Mondays and Fridays, but the new facility will allow for daily interaction between the age groups, with a dementia-friendly focus.
The new centre will add 49 daycare spots for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Priority will be given to children of staff at Perley Health.
The research branch of Perley Health, known as the Centre of Excellence for Frailty-Informed Care, will closely follow the relationships between children and seniors who participate to add to research about the benefits of intergenerational care and its impact on seniors with dementia.
Staff, parents and tenants of the Perley Health campus say they are already seeing benefits in real time.
“It’s really interesting to see how the staff from Andrew Fleck Children’s Services and the staff at Perley Health are working together to create meaningful programs where both generations are going to benefit,” said Delphine Haslé, executive director at Perley Health.
Perley Health is anticipating some challenges, but both organizations, alongside the Council on Aging of Ottawa, are working to ensure the wellbeing of both generations.
“We’re not expecting the children to entertain the older people and the older people to look after the children,” said Haslé. “It’s really how they can have meaningful activities where both are participating and both are benefitting.”
Andrew Fleck Children’s Services also operates intergenerational programs at two other sites in Mooney’s Bay and Old Ottawa South, which occasionally invite seniors to interact with the children.
Staff at both organizations have been in talks for years to ensure the design of the finished space allows for optimal interaction between old and young while remaining accessible to everyone. Kim Hiscott, executive director at Andrew Fleck, said they are learning from the program run at Mooney’s Bay.
“It’s meant to be quite accessible,” said Hiscott. “We made sure that there was enough room, so if people had mobility aids etc., it didn’t impact or change how the children play.”
The goal of such intergenerational programs is to integrate seniors more into society and allow children to see older adults as familiar faces. For the new facility, one measure of success will be when seniors and children know each other’s names.
“I feel like we’ve got the whole world right at Perley,” said Laura Boucher, 72, a tenant of one of Perley’s independent living apartments. “From babies to people over 100 years of age. I think that’s natural, and I think it fosters understanding between one another.”
Boucher has been participating in playgroups at Perley Health since their outset. She said she is very excited to welcome the new intergenerational model to Perley Health’s campus full-time because of the impact the playgroups have already made for her.
“I’ve made very many, very special relationships with the children who, some of them are more than three now, and they were infants when I met them,” said Boucher.
Sarah Bercier, executive director at the Council on Aging of Ottawa, said being around children can spark memories, improve mood and bring joy. Research shows intergenerational programs involving children and older adults with dementia can increase feelings of pleasure and reduce disengagement behaviours.
The program aims to benefit the children just as much as the seniors. Intergenerational care will allow children to build understanding and better relationships with the environment and those around them.
“We want the halls of the Perley to echo with the voices of the children,” said Hiscott.
