A nursery in the heart of the third age, magical encounters

Report in a crèche in the heart of a retirement home

Stick one in front too! Here is ! It’s good ! He’s doing well, this little one! Ms. Honoré, 83, patiently peels off the paper from a sticker before handing it to Maxime, a two-and-a-half-year-old blonde. It is 2:10 am in the “Les Orchidees” retirement home, in the city center of Tourcoing, near Lille. When the small group of “medium-large” – Clara, Pévé, Léa, Ismail, Maxime and Lou-Ann – enters the residence, all heads turn: “Hello everyone! This is the crib! The children are already used to it: they put down their coats and sit in the large activity room. This morning, decoration of hats.

Around the table, five or six elderly people, in wheelchairs or walkers, are already waiting

The residence, built in 1999, chose to sacrifice part of its land in 2012 to accommodate a nursery. It is an establishment of 26 cradles of the “Rigolo comme la vie” network, which is therefore located in this beautiful 200 m2 single-storey space. From the large bay windows of the nursery, you can see the residents passing by, walking in their sensory garden. Most make a small detour to greet the children. Some have even made it a ritual. This is the case with “Mr. Pierre ”(Vieren) who sits at his window every morning at the same time to say hi to them. In the residence where the workshop takes place this morning, the children are installed on booster seats, and pairs are formed. Ismail, 2, teams up with Ms. Deschamps. She brakes him gently: “No, you shouldn’t press so hard! Look, you just have to stick gently. ” In contact with the old lady, the little boy slows down his movements. He listens and hands her a new sticker. Clara, 20 months old, is intimidated by Ms. Suin. No problem, the childcare assistant takes her on his knees so that she continues to participate in the activity. For his part, Mr. Lœuille, 90, helps Lou-Ann decorate his hat. He comments: “Ouh lala, but say so, you ask me for high precision work, there! Indeed, the activity which brings together the two generations this morning is as beneficial to each other as to the others. Both residents and children must learn (or relearn) to work fine motor skills and exercise their creativity. They help each other a lot. “Ah, that sticks! », Exclaims Leah. Marie-Thérèse laughs: “Then we’ll put on another bruise, okay? “. The little girl, suspended from the old lady’s gestures, nods her head.

“For the residents, the presence of the little ones is a breath of freshness. They relive their life as parents ”

“Little by little, they remember the gestures: holding a hand, putting on a sleeve, stroking a silky head,” explains Aurélie, host at the residence. They are the ones who help the children, it values ​​them a lot. In the evening, they talk about it during meals, remembering the good times of the day. It allows them to talk about something other than their sores. ” As the door to the large living room is left open, residents who had not registered for the workshop approach, drawn by laughter and loud voices. The children start to get restless. It’s time to go out for a walk. In the garden of the residence, there is a pond with goldfish, an aviary with parakeets, sculptures of sheep that can be straddled, a swing and a slide. Denis Poitou, head of communication at “Rigolo comme la vie”, explains: “As soon as the garden was created, it was decided to place children’s games in it. It also allows families who come to visit an elderly person to have a good time. For the children of the nursery, it creates a strong attractiveness: it’s party time when they go! »Return to the nursery for the meal of the little ones. Inside, the large living room is fully open. Babies, medium and large evolve in the same space. At most, a low partition isolates babies from the rest of the children. On the adult side, apart from the office, it’s the same. The auxiliaries and educators of young children take their meals with the toddlers, on the small tables, seated on the tiny chairs. There are also no high chairs. Here everything is at child level, to promote autonomy as much as possible.

The idea is to live and grow together, whatever the ages of life

Noëlline, EJE co-leader, explains to us the educational project of the crèche: “With us, the sections do not exist. Thus, babies see the big ones evolving, and the big ones do not hesitate to help a younger one who is having difficulty. The children wake up from a nap. They wash their hands on their own and go out to play in the great hall. Lætitia Florin, the director of the crèche with the help of her team, prepares the snack. This time, it is the residents of the retirement home who come to the crèche. She pulls out folding chairs to accommodate a dozen residents, while the children sit around the table to start tasting. “ We try to increase the moments of discussion, cooking lessons, reading stories, singing, plastic arts workshops. We also regularly go out together: to the botanical garden next door, to the market. For this afternoon, after the snack, we plan to do a little dancing. At the moment, we are thinking with the leaders of the retirement home about everything we could still put in place. We realize that the possibilities are endless. “

The elderly settle down around the children, and everyone shares the meal

Suddenly, a thrill of excitement runs through the group of little ones around the snack table: “The residents are coming!” “. The elderly settle down around the children, and everyone shares the meal: croissants and donuts prepared by the cooks. Suddenly, a baby is crying in his deckchair. Ears prick up, a wrinkled hand reaches out to console him. Then the childcare auxiliaries put on some music, and the children, once washed, rush into the large living room. Watching them jiggle, hat on their head and ribbon in hand, the residents are cheerful and laughing, showing each other’s facial expressions. Some even sketch a dance movement to accompany the little ones. The children then take out foam balloons and improvise a throwing ball with the adults. Obviously, some balloons land directly on the white heads, causing exclamations and laughter on both sides! Christiane, 82, caresses a small head with silky curls. She says: “It’s so nice to spend time with the little ones. It changes us. Children always surprise us. »And Pévé rushes towards M. Poissonnier the better to grasp his wrinkled chin with both hands!