Cooinda Family Centre normally looks after children, but on Wednesday this week the Bowen institution invited seniors into its fold.
For Queensland Senior’s Month, Cooinda Family Centre organised two morning teas for elderly people to interact with the centre’s young children – bringing together generations who can often seem so far apart.
The month’s activities in Bowen were focused on celebrating the important and essential roles older people play in local communities.
“It’s about doing what should be normal: learning from our older generations and realising their importance,” Bowen Neighbourhood Centre Coordinator Stephanie Cora said.
“Bringing children together with their grandparents, the community’s elderly, it’s just as important as teaching children their school lessons.”
Organisations across Bowen coordinated to make the morning teas happen: Girudala Community Co-Operative Society Ltd, Murroona Gardens Nursing Home, Queensland Country Women’s Association’s Bowen Branch, and both Bowen Neighbourhood Centre and Cooinda Family Centre.
“With the little ones, they love to interact with the elderly; they gain so much from it,” Coordinator at Bowen Neighbourhood Centre Xena Yasso said.
“It’s a two-way street, when the elder generation interact with the younger, they’re both benefitting from that.”
An attendee at the Senior’s Month Morning Tea, Rosemary Cora said that the benefits of spending time with children were immediate.
“You see the smiles on their faces and you can’t help but smile. The joy they get from it, it’s wonderful to see,” Ms Cora said.
“My granddaughter is here today and she was just so excited to spend time with me. It’s heart-warming.”
The Bowen Branch of the Queensland Country Women’s Association catered for the event and were one of the primary driving forces behind the morning teas. Ms Cora said they were the “grandparent role for organisations in Bowen.”
“They’re incredible. They do that role to perfection in every aspect, and we can’t thank them enough,” she said.
Cooinda Family Centre in Bowen invited local nursing homes to participate in a series of morning teas for Seniors Month, bringing kids together with a generation they often don’t see
Bowen Neighbourhood Centre, Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre, and Girudala Community Co-Operative Society Ltd staff at the Seniors Month Morning Tea
The group of elderly and kids enjoyed a day of games and fun at the Centre
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