Thursday, March 31, 2016
Victorian Order of Nurses Middlesex-Elgin
Seniors sharpen minds by colouring with kids
Child's play can enhance older minds.
Some London senior citizens are sharpening their minds by sharpening their pencil crayons, getting together with kids from a nearby elementary school once a month to colour at Cherryhill Village Mall.
Delia Huitema, a volunteer coordinator for the Victorian Order of Nurses Middlesex-Elgin, saw the need for more intergenerational interaction for her senior clients.
She contacted Eagle Heights Elementary School, across the street from the mall, about a collaboration.
Now, on the last Tuesday of each month, eighth-grade pupils from Eagle Heights colour drawings and templates with the elderly for an hour at the mall located in a large senior housing area.
"The benefits of colouring include stress and anxiety relief, as well as sharper fine motor skills", said Huitema. "And it's heartwarming to see genuine interest from the kids."
It's also smart.
The act of colouring uses both sides of the brain and helps keep cognitive function intact, said Kristin Collins, a London-based occupational therapist. Colouring also can have a meditational aspect to it.
The combination of colours, creativity and company appeals to Cherryhill participants, one resident said.
"I love kids, and I know my colours. I think I would do very well in these sessions," said Marjorie McNeil, a Cherryhill resident of five years.
Others echoed McNeil.
"Colouring is a way, like no other, to keep the mind busy and design something", said longtime Cherryhill community retirees Kathy Ham and Peggy Dodman.
Joy Pollard said she and her sister use colouring books at home all of the time. "We love it", she said. "It is therapeutic and gives a feeling of accomplishment."
In a similar vein, the London public library offers volunteer sessions involving visual art for seniors, and the Kiwanis Seniors' Community Centre in London uses art and music to create opportunities for social interaction.
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