Teenagers from Huntingdon have begun befriending elderly people living with dementia at a care home.
The 12 16-17-year-olds from the Huntingdon campus of Cambridge Regional College (CRC) and Hinchingbrooke School have started meeting residents at Hunters Down Care Home in Hartford Road.
It is planned for them to visit regularly for many months during a scheme called ‘YOPEY Befriender’ and is believed to be the first ‘intergenerational’ befriending scheme between young and old people in Cambridgeshire since the pandemic.
Following checks, the students are now able to visit residents in their free time and take part in the home’s activities.
Their visits are recorded and can be included in job and university applications.
Head of Year 12 at Hinchingbrooke School, Femi Solano, said: “It is wonderful to see our sixth-form students taking part in YOPEY Befriender.
“They have shown great empathy, interest, patience and kindness when interacting with the older generation.”
For CRC, professional practice assessor Donna Grant said: “Our students are able to gain and improve on so many interpersonal skills and are aware of the positive impact their visits have on the residents.”
The scheme is rub by the charity YOPEY which is short for Young People of the Year.
One of its trustees, Pearl Ewing, is a retired care home activities coordinator from Huntingdon who watched the young people with a professional eye.
The teenagers were trained to relate to people living with dementia by Tony Gearing MBE, founder of YOPEY.
He said: “I believe our befrienders are unique and give more benefit to elderly people living in care homes because they are young.
“Most other befriending schemes use the middle-aged to visit the old-aged.
“The elderly love to hear about the young people’s lives and they love to give advice to people embarking on their adult lives. Some of those with dementia can still do this.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here