Adopt a grand-buddy program begins in Port

A PROGRAM bringing kinder children and older members of the community together to focus on safety awareness has kicked off in Portarlington.

The KIDS Foundation recently rolled out “Connecting Generations – Adopt a grand-buddy” with residents of Arcare Portarlington Aged Care Centre and children from Portarlington Pre-school.

For a duration of 10 sessions over 12 months, participants will buddy-up to complete a series of activities focusing on socialisation, physical movement and safety awareness.

The program educates and empowers participants so that they can build strong lives and keep themselves safe.

KIDS Foundation’s Founder and Director Dr Susie O’Neill said children and the elderly had the highest injury rates through accidents of any members of the community and unfortunately injury was rarely at the forefront of health programs.

Arcare Portarlington Aged Care Centre Lifestyle coordinator Tammy Baine said she was delighted to be part of the pilot program and believed that Connecting Generations would be a fabulous addition to the recreation programs already available at the centre with real-life benefits.

“It’s our goal to always provide engaging activities for our residents and adding this safety program is another way for our residents to build friendships, share their knowledge and learn from young children,” Ms O’Neill said.

The three homes participating in the Connecting Generations Pilot Program each receive all ofthe resources required to deliver the program, including SeeMore Safety booklets, SeeMore Buddy dolls, art and craft materials.

Each home will also conduct pre and post testing to help gauge participation results and data.

Support for the KIDS Foundation has been received from the Geelong Community Foundation, Give Where You Live, and Harwood Andrews to provide Connecting Generations Pilot Program to three aged care homes and early learning centres in the Geelong region during 2018.