How comfort and joy of children can help elderly beat depression

PLAYING with children helps pensioners combat depression, a study has found.

Forty care home residents – many in their 80s and 90s – were observed over five months of visits from children who joined in with baking, singing, gardening and maths.

It found the sessions alleviated loneliness and signs of depression, increased mental stimulation and enhanced wellbeing.

Dr Ali Somers, a lecturer and freelance researcher, carried out the research at Nightingale House nursing home in south-west London. She said elderly people often have a whole range of underlying health conditions.

She explained: “Putting a resident on an antidepressant and making sure the drug does not counter any other medication is a really complicated, and not that effective, process.

“Whereas, without a doubt, every resident who had symptoms of depression reported that those had been alleviated and improved because of their participation.”

The children came from Apples and Honey Nursery, in nearby Wimbledon. Principal Judith Ish-Horowicz said the youngsters also benefited from the exercise.

She said she delighted in “watching the way their empathy, their sensitivity and their sense of maturity grow”.

Experts have suggested that nurseries could be attached to care homes and housing developments for pensioners, to reduce their loneliness.