About five years ago one of WA's main providers of community services came up with what seemed an all too simple idea — bringing together its aged care residents with the toddlers in its early learning centres.

Key points: Intergenerational programs are becoming increasingly popular around the world

Intergenerational programs are becoming increasingly popular around the world Organisers say the approach helps fill social gaps for elderly and young people

Organisers say the approach helps fill social gaps for elderly and young people Researchers say intergenerational care models can reform the aged care industry

It took just one visit to see the potential those meetings between young and old could hold.

MercyCare, a Catholic-run provider of aged care, family, health and community services across the Perth metropolitan area, now offers similar visits wherever it can.

Rosina Smith, manager of MercyCare's 12 early learning centres, said the visits had benefits for all involved.

"These residents can teach our children so much and that's priceless for us," she said.

"They get opportunities to show respect and compassion, which is some of our basic care values, and the joy that it brings and the stories that are told are just so touching.

MercyCare said the visits had benefits for all involved. ( ABC News: Briana Shepherd )

"The aged care residents seem energised by the visits, you can see it the moment they walk through the door … getting them out and about and getting them moving … I think that's super important."

Ms Smith said they also had the potential to fill a gap within both age groups.

"The residents can socially interact with children that they may not have in their own lives," she said. "And vice-versa.

"A lot of our children don't have elderly people in their life so to engage and interact and experience that … parents love it."

The rise of intergenerational care

Intergenerational programs are becoming an increasingly popular part of aged care practices and systems around the world.

Dr Xanthe Golenko, from Queensland's Griffith University, is among a team of researchers involved in a project trialling and evaluating different models of the care.

The Intergenerational Care Project, awarded a grant from the federal Dementia and Aged Care Services fund two years ago, planned to release its final report in the middle of this year.

"We're of course looking at the social benefits and the health and wellbeing outcomes for the children and the older participants," Dr Golenko said.

"But we also had these added elements of specifically looking at the workforce development, conducting an economic evaluation and developing an intergenerational learning framework."

Intergenerational care models are becoming increasingly popular around the world. ( ABC News: Briana Shepherd )

While still in its early stages, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Services has already heard evidence of a sector overwhelmed by demand and plagued by instances of abuse.

And with Australia facing a growing aging population, Dr Golenko said she believed intergenerational care models could play an integral part in reforming the industry.

"We've been so segregated in terms of trying to cater for specific populations within a certain context," she said.

"Now we're sort of realising that actually it's just created this really disconnected society.

"Even how childcare sits under education whereas aged care sits under health, things are very siloed and institutionalised, and I think these programs really help to break down some of those institutional barriers."

Merriwyn Campbell, 94, is a regular on the intergenerational visits. ( ABC News: Briana Shepherd )

Learning across generations

For the past 10 years, MercyCare's aged care facility in Joondalup has been welcoming Year 11 students from Belridge Secondary Education Support Centre for weekly visits.

Kelsey Collins, who has been the school's Year 11 teacher for the past five years, said the visits provided the special needs students with an opportunity to practice their communication skills.

"The first time we come here they're always quite nervous to come in and meet new people — it's an unfamiliar environment," she said.

Year 11 students from Belridge Secondary Education Support Centre visit MercyCare residents weekly. ( ABC News: Briana Shepherd )

"But by the time we leave — usually we're here for a term, two terms — they get to know the residents' names, they approach them, they have their favourite residents they go up and see.

"They really build that friendship and rapport with them, which is lovely."

Aged care of the future within the community

Director of residential life services, Margaret Ingleton, said wherever possible MercyCare looked at how it could deliver these types of services.

"We've been connected all our lives, we're social animals," she said.

"Just because you've got older doesn't mean you want to be isolated, and it's very easy to become isolated, so it's so important that we all do our utmost to minimise that occurring."

Margaret Ingleton said intergenerational care helped deal with isolation. ( ABC News: Briana Shepherd )

MercyCare planned to build WA's first intergenerational care campus in Cannington, with a vision of integrating aged care into the community.

After seeing firsthand the positive impact bringing together people from all generations could provide, Ms Ingleton said it made perfect sense.

"We feel that aged care of the future, an essential part of it, is that it must be within the community, not isolated — that is just contemporary aged care."