Intergenerational Programming

Children and youth bring their curiosity, energy and different perspectives. Veterans and Seniors bring their experience, knowledge and stories. When they spend meaningful time together, everyone has something to contribute and something to gain.

Perley Health is a leader in intergenerational programming, creating intentional opportunities for children, youth, Veterans and Seniors to meet, participate in activities together and build relationships. From weekly playgroups and music sessions to school partnerships, volunteering and learning opportunities, intergenerational connections are increasingly part of everyday life at Perley Health.

And we are continuing to learn, grow and expand what is possible.

Intergenerational programming is about more than bringing different age groups into the same space. It is about creating opportunities for genuine interaction and relationships to develop over time.

At Perley Health, our vision is a community where people of different generations naturally have opportunities to meet, learn from one another and take part in shared experiences.

That might mean a young child and a Senior playing together on a Friday morning. It could be a high school student participating in recreation activities with Veterans, or younger and older participants making music together.

Each experience is different, but the idea behind them is the same: everyone has something meaningful to offer.

By intentionally creating these opportunities throughout the Perley Health community, we are building a more connected model of community life where age is not a barrier to friendship, learning or participation.

At every stage of life, people benefit from connection, belonging, opportunities to learn and the chance to contribute.

Intergenerational programming creates space for those experiences to happen across age groups.

For children and youth, spending time with older adults can offer new relationships, perspectives and opportunities to learn outside their usual environments.

For Veterans and Seniors, interacting with younger generations can bring new experiences and conversation, as well as opportunities to share knowledge, skills and stories.

Most importantly, the relationship is reciprocal. Intergenerational programming is not about one generation providing something for another. It is about creating experiences in which everyone participates and everyone contributes.

We also want to understand these relationships more deeply.

The Perley Health Centre of Excellence is leading research to study and evaluate the impact of intergenerational programming. This work will help us learn from the experiences of participants and better understand how intergenerational approaches can contribute to quality of life and community.

The research is ongoing. What we learn will help inform the continued development of programming at Perley Health and contribute to broader knowledge about intergenerational communities.

Intergenerational programming at Perley Health takes many forms.

Some programs bring the same participants together regularly so relationships can develop over time. Others introduce children and youth to the Perley Health community through school partnerships, volunteering, music and special activities.

What connects them is an emphasis on participation rather than observation. Children, youth, Veterans and Seniors do things together.

These experiences are also an important learning opportunity. What we observe and learn through existing programs helps inform how intergenerational activities, spaces and experiences are developed for the future.

Every Friday morning, something special happens at Perley Health.

Ten Seniors come together with ten children, ranging in age from newborn to six years old, for an intergenerational playgroup.

The sessions create opportunities to play, talk, explore and simply spend time together. The activities provide a natural setting for relationships to develop between participants who might otherwise have few opportunities to meet.

The playgroups are deliberately small and recurring. Seeing familiar faces week after week gives children and Seniors the opportunity to become comfortable with one another and allows connections to grow naturally.

They are also an important learning environment. Experiences and lessons from the playgroups are helping Perley Health understand what makes intergenerational programming meaningful and are informing the development of future programs and spaces.

Interested in participating?

Families with children can contact EarlyOnOttawasouth@afchildrensservices.ca.

Perley Health Senior Living tenants or residents interested in participating can contact Info@perleyhealth.ca.

Our programs

In addition to our Intergenerational Playgroups, Perley Health creates opportunities for connection across generations through a range of programs, partnerships and experiences.

Music provides another way for generations to connect.

In this successful pilot program, Seniors and youth took turns leading one-hour music sessions. Consistent groups met over six-week blocks, creating opportunities for participants to become familiar with one another and build connections through a shared experience.

The pilot was completed in Fall 2023 and continues to provide valuable learning for the development of intergenerational programming at Perley Health.

The Caring for Others Program is a collaboration between Immaculata High School and Perley Health.

Grade 10 students earn credits while spending time in the Perley Health community and participating in one-on-one interactions, therapeutic recreation activities and other community-focused experiences with Seniors and young children.

The program creates an opportunity for learning to happen in both directions while giving students meaningful experience in an intergenerational environment.

Get involved: Contact Susan Kehoe, Immaculata High School, at 613-237-2001.

Young people aged 13 and older can become part of the Perley Health community through volunteer opportunities.

The summer youth program provides opportunities for meaningful and educational experiences during July and August. Parents are also encouraged to register and volunteer alongside their children.

Perley Health also offers co-op placements for high school and university students, creating further opportunities for young people to learn, contribute and build relationships across generations.

Get involved: Contact Volunteer Services at volunteer@perleyhealth.ca.

Each November, Perley Health welcomes Grade 9 students who are family members of employees for Take our Kids to Work Day.

Students spend a full day participating in activities and experiencing the Perley Health community, giving them an opportunity to learn about the work that happens here and connect with people from different generations.

Get involved: Contact your child's school and Perley Health Volunteer Services at volunteer@perleyhealth.ca.

On September 16, 2026, Perley Health and Andrew Fleck Children's Services will officially mark the opening of the Andrew Fleck Children's Services Intergenerational Early Learning Centre at Perley Health.

Operated by Andrew Fleck Children's Services, the new centre represents an important next step in Perley Health's intergenerational journey.

It will create new opportunities for children and members of the Perley Health community to spend time together through intentional intergenerational programming, building on what we have learned through playgroups and other existing initiatives.

The centre has been designed not simply as child care located within a Seniors' community, but as an environment where relationships between generations can become part of everyday life.

The Perley Health Foundation was the lead funder of the new centre and continues to play an important role in supporting the work of the Perley Health Centre of Excellence, including its work to study and evaluate intergenerational programming.

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Highlights from the Intergenerational Early Learning Centre Ribbon Joining Event - September 16, 2026