Unley’s ‘GRANDFriends’ program, supported by an Age Friendly SA Grant from Office for Ageing Well, was inspired by the ABC television show ‘Old People’s Home for Teenagers’ – a reality-style series with younger and older generations in a social experiment.

The GRANDFriends program aims strongly aligned with the Council’s Active Ageing Strategy, creating an opportunity to bring different demographic groups together for interaction.

With a rapidly ageing demographic across most communities in the Western world, many older citizens don’t have opportunity to interact with younger people, and participants jumped at the chance to get involved.

Across both groups, loneliness and social isolation are a concern. Loneliness and social isolation are often linked to mental illness, emotional distress, suicide, the development of dementia, premature death, poor health behaviours, smoking, physical inactivity and poor sleep – as well as biological effects, including high blood pressure and impaired immune function (Australia’s Welfare 2023 Data Insights).

The City of Unley wanted to address barriers and create opportunities for generations to meet and connect, and perhaps to learn new things about themselves and each other. Consequently, ageist stereotypes were overcome as the participants found that they have much more in common with the other generation than they thought possible.

The GRANDFriends project team conducted two GRANDFriends programs, each one running over several weeks, a few hours at a time. Sessions centred around a common activity, such as, lawn bowls, community gardening, painting, cooking, and playing board games. The focus was on having fun, learning new skills, and building friendships.

Eight teenagers who expressed interest in the first program were 13-15 years of age. The second program partnered with Glenunga International High School and 15 students enthusiastically participated. These young participants were paired with an equal number of people aged 65+ years.

Minister for Human Services and Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well Hon. Nat Cook visited the program when participants were playing lawn bowls at Unley Park Sports Club and was thrilled with what she saw. Network Nine television covered the event, interviewing the Minister, elected members, and participants. Watch the video here.

Council partnered with LifeChanger Foundation to deliver GRANDFriends. The not-for-profit organisation has experience assisting teenagers with wellbeing, helping them thrive by developing social and emotional skills.

Their approach strives to achieve personal strength and greater resilience for individuals and a sense of more connection to peers and community.

Council’s Active Ageing Project Officer Jill Andrews says, ‘There’s lots of laughter and communication in these sessions and it’s clear intergenerational programs like this have a really positive influence on feelings of happiness and mental wellbeing - for both age groups.’

The GRANDFriends project was supported by an Age Friendly SA grant from Office for Ageing Well.

For more information on GRANDFriends contact Jill at jandrews@unley.sa.gov.au.