Students can live in this Dutch nursing home for free — but on one unusual condition

Friendship has no age limits — whoever understands you, loves to prank others with you, laughs at your jokes, and wipes your tears in your grief is a friend. One of the most unexpected yet amazing bonds you may experience is an intergenerational friendship, whether it means befriending your grandparents or elderly neighbors who live alone. It teaches you a lot about life, all while helping them cope with loneliness.  Good Good Good shared the story of a Dutch nursing home — the Woon-en Zorgcentrum Humanitas Deventer — that introduced a program benefitting not only the elderly but also young minds.

The nursing home put the program in place twelve years ago, under which local students continue to live at their care center rent-free in exchange for 30 hours of monthly volunteer work. “It started with the idea of becoming the warmest home for seniors in Deventer,” Gea Sijpkes, the director of WZC Humanitas, said in a statement. “And we wanted to do that with the energy of the youth.” @WaardigheidentrotsVideo shared a video on their YouTube channel.

Sijpkes shared how he got the unique idea: “At the same time [as they were planning the future for elderlies], there was a shortage of student housing, which meant that more and more young people were staying at home. I then thought: why don’t I combine the two?” She explained how “the students are not caregivers” but instead “good neighbors.” All the residents are brought together by fun activities like pool days, celebrations, and community dinners, and there are no rigid rules about the “volunteer hours,” either — in fact, most students spend their time sitting and talking to their intergenerational buddies.

The statement also revealed what the students think about the program. “It doesn't all have to be grand and exciting,” said Peter Kolb, one of the students at the center. “If you talk to each other and show interest… that already gives so much meaning.” Another residential student, Dakota Donath, expressed, “They taught me to slow down a bit more. That doesn't make me older, but more aware of life.”

A study by Rebecca Whear and others reveals how intergenerational friendships can benefit both parties. It reads, “Intergenerational interventions aim to promote greater understanding and respect between generations and help build communities.” These encounters can be organized with “school children visiting nursing home residents to share activities and stories, younger and older people coming together to share in music‐based activities, older people volunteering in schools, and older people from outside the family helping/mentoring students.” Intergenerational friendships can also reduce stress, lower depression, and boost self-esteem in the elderly. Researchers also cited the small amount of data available on this topic, especially since this practice of generations coming together hasn't spread wide enough, with institutions not directing their funding towards the well-being of seniors.

The young minds bring “liveliness” to the nursing home and help with “providing meals, reception work, help with computers and mobile phones, and medical questions,” WZC Humanitas shared on their website. Sijpkes expressed the uncomplicated idea behind why this works: It's "so simple, but the impact is so big.”