Intergenerational issues concern everyday life and also arrive on TV in 2019, to stimulate public opinion about the possibilities of the care for older people. “Old People’s Home for 4 Years Old” is a British Channel 4 program, itself inspired by a similar program born in the United States 25 years ago, and tells the life of a kindergarten, inside a village for the elderly near Bristol, that hosts for six week 11 retirees to promote living together with 10 4-years-olds. The program is therefore a appreciable intergenerational experiment, that aims to measure how this experience generates an improvement in the performances of the elderly, in details about mood, memory and mobility. The experiment is led by three geriatricians who take care of the experimental dimension, verifying the many benefits that this experience can generate. The series launched a lively debate on the living conditions of older people, in particular about the theme of loneliness.
This documentary ranked first as a daily show in UK and has won several awards because it has highlighted the way to change the practices associated with increasing aging population.
The format of this documentary, originally produced by Red Arrows Studios for Channel 4 in UK, has since been licensed to over 13 countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Germany, Finland and Israel. Finally released from the university classrooms, intergenerational learning arrives on TV as a documentary and opens a space for common reflection on the issues that the “Ge&In” project deals through the work of its partners.
The link to the trailer for the series can be found here:
Picture https://twitter.com/redarrowstudios/status/1059815978991845387/photo/1
