Innovation: The Way We Were
Ireland
AAI Domains:
Participation in society (inter-generational activity, social connectedness)
Independent, healthy and secure living (lifelong learning)
The Way We Were is an inter-generational project developed by Third Age Ireland, a leading voluntary organisation for older people, that started in 2009. The project began with a small number of older volunteers taking historical artefacts, dating back to when they were children, to primary schools in order to ‘bring history alive’ for pupils by showing how much daily life had changed in Ireland during the last sixty or seventy years.
Items that were a feature of the lives of older people when they were growing up are unfamiliar to young children today but through touching the artefacts and talking to older people about what their childhood was like in Ireland in the middle of the twentieth century, the pupils can get a sense of how the lives of their grandparents and great-grandparents were led. All older volunteers are trained by Third Age Ireland, vetted by the police for working with school children and transport is provided to each school. The feedback on the project from older people, children and teachers has been positive as it provides an opportunity for greater inter-generational interaction and understanding.
The project has subsequently been developed so that artefacts are taken to nursing homes where older people can reminisce about their earlier lives. This includes people with dementia who recognise certain items from their childhood or adolescence and are happy to engage in conversation with the older volunteers. Reminiscence can have therapeutic value for older people with dementia and provide an enjoyable opportunity for social interaction for nursing home residents who do not have cognitive limitations.
In terms of active ageing, the project provides opportunities for inter-generational activity and lifelong learning for pupils and volunteers who can have their interest in social history sparked by participating in the project. There are typically several visits to schools and nursing homes during the course of a day and the volunteers work in pairs during the sessions and have formed friendships contributing to a stronger sense of social connectedness to fellow volunteers and the wider community.