Colour and Creativity Light Up Coates for Book Week

Residents at our Coates aged care home in St Arnaud, Victoria, were delighted this month to welcome local primary school students for a very special Book Week celebration.

The much-anticipated morning of festivities, which continues an ongoing intergenerational program uniting the home and St Arnaud Primary School, was the perfect opportunity for some unique ‘show and tell’.  

Students excitedly dressed up as their favourite fictional characters to share their love of reading with our Coates residents and staff, who were all eager to learn about the books, stories and inspiration behind each of their colourful and imaginative costumes. 

Intergenerational programs, events, and activities like this in aged care homes are growing in popularity across Australia, and it’s for good reason. These programs build meaningful interactions between older adults and younger generations by bridging the gap between age groups and creating mutually beneficial relationships. 

Particularly for residents, intergenerational programs have been shown to help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation, stimulate cognitive functions, enhance emotional wellbeing, and promote a further sense of purpose and belonging.

Like many of our homes across the country, Coates is proud to provide its residents a range of regular engagement opportunities thanks to ongoing community collaborations with St Arnaud Primary School, St Patrick’s Primary School, the Northern Grampians Shire, and St Arnaud Early Learning Centre. 

Jane Snell, General Manager of Coates, says all the home’s intergenerational initiatives continue to be a popular component of the home’s social care calendar.  

“We’re proud to have built such great connections between our residents and young people and students across St Arnaud, and I’m pleased to say our programs have already brought so much happiness and joy to everyone taking part,” Jane says.  

“A big thank you to St Arnaud Primary School and their students for sharing their love of reading with us for Book Week. All of our residents were blown away by your costumes and were so excited to hear about what you were reading and spend such a wonderful time with you.”