Nursing homes can be a very lonely place for many elderly folk. I've never been in a nursing home but the whole process of being taken away from your family is not something much to smile about.



Studies have shown that 43% of elderly folk experience social isolation, which is closely correlated with loneliness and depression as well as mental and physical decline. When placed in a nursing home, this feeling doesn't go away. It perpetuates.



However, the Inter-generational Learning Center located within Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle is here to ensure that elderly folk at their nursing home are happy. How, you ask?



They decided to put a pre-school in their nursing home and many, including, the filmmaker of “Present Perfect” were surprised to see the huge difference it made in the lives of both the elderly and the young.



Despite the difference in their years, the children and elderly “entire sense of time seems more closely aligned” than with the “busy, frazzled, perpetually multi-tasking adults”.



I personally think that this is a revolutionary idea. The elderly can impart all their wisdom to the children and actually make a difference in their lies while at the same time, not being socially isolated. What do you think of this idea? Let me know in the comments section below.