At 96 years old and just eight respectively, Ann and Lily* may be separated by more than eight decades of life experience; however an unlikely friendship has blossomed, providing that age is no barrier to connection.

The pair met when Lily’s Trinity College class visited Ann and other residents at AnglicareSA’s Elizabeth Dutton Court Residential Aged Care home.

“We have this connection that was there from the very beginning,” Ann said.

“She was the first child who came up to me, and we had a chat and coloured in together.”

Since that first meeting, Ann and Lily kept in touch, meeting outside of school visits on school holidays or weekends.

During these visits, the pair chat about their shared interests, such as crystals and reading, draw together, and enjoy singing.

Lily said her favourite thing about Ann was her kindness.

“Ann is very kind and we have a lot in common,” she said.

Ann said she looked forward to Lily’s visits.

“I am always happy to see her,” Ann said.

“She brings something different to my life, and she’s an absolute joy. She’s a little treasure.”

Customer Wellness Coordinator at Dutton Court, Maritza Granados, said that intergenerational friendships, like Ann and Lily’s, were the reason she wanted to establish school visits in the aged care home.

“Ann and Lily click like they have known each other from past lives,” Maritza said.

“Their bond is incredible – they send each other little gifts, and Lily visits Ann during the school holidays with her grandmother.”

Lily said there was an ulterior motive for bringing her grandmother along when she visited Ann.

“I want my grandma and Ann to be really good friends, because that means they can go out for coffee sometimes, and I can come too,” Lily said.

Intergenerational programs help reduce loneliness for older people while providing children an opportunity to develop social and emotional skills.

“Programs like this have a significant positive impact on the wellbeing of our residents,” Maritza said.

Both AnglicareSA and Trinity College plan to continue the visits, hoping more friendships like Ann and Lily’s will grow.

*Name changed to protect privacy.