Special tables have been set up in the lunchroom for the children, but they are free to eat with a resident who has taken a special interest. Walls in the classroom and in the cafeteria have been replaced with windows so residents can watch the children play. Sometimes the preschoolers and the aged residents do crafts together, take field trips together and swap childhood stories. We tend to segregate our generations even when they share similar needs. Young peoples' energy and exuberance are excellent companions for seniors.
Young children benefit from the companionship as well.
Including a day care in the retirement home, which is part of the Deaconess Billings Clinic system, was an idea that administrator Kevin Sider wanted to explore. He said he looked around for a partner, an expert in child day care, and found White, owner and director of Kid Kountry Child Development Center on Hallowell Lane. White agreed to open a second center in Aspen Meadows. In Phase II, the center hopes accommodate four infants. Sider said the space has already been identified.