In the loupe teamed up with the Sutherland Shire Council and Heart & Soul Story to document a program that partnered residents living with dementia at an aged care home with school children from the local area, and used a variety of exercises and techniques over eight weeks to foster empathy and reduce social isolation. 

Community Connection

The program was created in alignment with broader community goals to support vulnerable residents and encourage social connection. The Covid lockdown highlighted these issues and brought them to the forefront of council’s attention, sparking fresh initiative aimed at improving the lives of local seniors.

The program culminated a final event attended by the family members of all senior residents and teenagers, along with staff and local government officials, who gathered the bear witness to the positive impacts and relationships formed between the different generations.

“Somehow we have to get older people back close to growing children if we are to restore a sense of community, knowledge of the past, and a sense of the future.” Margaret Mead, Cultural Anthropologist