‘It's magic': South Bay dual day care brings children, adults with dementia together

The staff at Hearts and Minds Activity Center in San Jose are up to date on the latest and best techniques for caring for their clients.

The workers at the day care for adults with dementia have learned all they can through taking classes, attending seminars, and reading the latest research.

Perhaps the best thing they do each day for their charges, however, they stumbled across by accident.

“It was happenstance,” said Maria Nicolacoudis, Hearts and Minds’ CEO.

Thirty years earlier, when the day care opened its doors, it was intended to solely be a facility with adults with dementia. With so many working mothers on staff, however, the administration thought it was a good idea to organize an on-site, co-op day care for the children of staff members.

Rosa Barneond was hired to run the child care program in a separate part of the facility. Not separate enough, it turned out.

“The seniors knew that we had a room for children in there,” Barneond said. “They would always come and peek in the room and they would hear the kids playing.”

In those brief interactions, Barneond noticed what she would later describe as “magic.”

“There’s a magic going on when the two generations interact together,” Barneond said.

Now, every morning at 10:30 the children and the seniors, affectionately referred to as “grandparent,” come together for crafts, dancing, and other fun. 

“It brings them joy. Also, a sense of purpose,” Nicolacoudis said, noting that as dementia patients' abilities decline, they often lose their sense of self and can develop depression.

“But they do remember that there are kids in here,” Barneond said. “And they do remember that, ‘I am the grandpa who is going to be in charge of reading a book. I'm the grandma who is going to be in charge of leading a craft.' That part of the program is so strong for the seniors that it motivates them to be here.”

Nicolacoudis said that for many children, these interactions are their favorite part of the day. Many kids in the day care may not have the opportunity to see their own grandparents frequently or engage with seniors outside of Hearts and Minds.

“They always leave here with a higher level of empathy, social skills and communication skills,” Nicoulacoudis said. “It's something that I wish my kids had the opportunity to participate in.”