Babies taken into care homes to cheer up residents

A charity which takes babies into care homes has said the initiative has brought "so much joy" to residents.

Alive, a Bristol-based organisation which works to improve the lives of older people, runs the Lullaby Circle, linking children up to six months old with people in care homes.

"We ran a pilot project in Weston-super-Mare, and there was a resident there who was a midwife, who said she never thought she'd be able to hold a baby again.

"When we put a baby in her arms, she was crying, saying it was like Christmas Day for her," said Alive CEO Isobel Jones.

Alive has run inter-generational events for 15 years, and was recently given National Lottery funding to expand this to newborns.

The events also allow new mothers to chat to each other while the residents look after their children.

"Being a new mum can be a challenge, and new mums need support," said Ms Jones.

"The older people have so much love and support, and they've worked with young people all their lives and it gives them a purpose.

"We see so many smiles with older people who might not talk normally but they sing and chat and they're just able to smile," she added.

Katie, one of the mothers who attended the session at Deerhurst Care Home in Bristol, said: "You can see how much it means to the residents interacting with the babies.

"Some of the ladies here love babies more than anyone I've met.

"We can have a chat with the other mums which is a nice way to spend our maternity leave and it's lovely."

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