I’m no big fan of kids, so you can trust me when I say Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds is the best show on television.
The ABC doco series follows 11 “older adults” and 10 preschool kids in a 7-week social experiment about loneliness, how it impacts on mental and physical fitness, and quite frankly how much we underestimate young people generally.
It may not sound like your cup of tea, but grab some tissues because it is a wild ride – and I was an absolute mess by the end of episode one.
Firstly, these are your non-obnoxious variety of kids. They’re incredibly smart and sweet and not at all the kind I give filthy looks to in the supermarket because they’re screaming “I WANT A LOLLY NOW!!!”
The old people’s home residents are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Some are war veterans, some have been alone for a very long time, and many of them have lost the will to live. Oh yeah, you will be crying within the first 10 minutes of the show.
But the kids have a magical power that spurs the seniors on. John, a war veteran and absolute gentleman, has “not had the pleasure of marriage” and doesn’t have any children. He’s very blunt about how anxious he is that the kids just won’t like him at all. Doesn’t last long, though – John is one of the first to play along and sip imaginary tea from a tiny toy cup.
Now here’s where I lost it. Bryan has macular degeneration, meaning he has very limited vision and is reluctant to participant in activities. “We’re here to die,” he says in a cutaway interview. When he’s spotted sitting alone in the busy room, a nurse goes over to check on him and it’s obvious Bryan doesn’t have a lot of motivation left in life.
Enter Tyrone, a genuinely gorgeous kid who takes it upon himself to go over to Bryan and make things right. With few words, the two of them bond over craft, and I swear even the experts running the experiment were tearing up. I was ugly crying, I won’t lie.
And then Aiden and Eric went and punched me right in the heart. In an effort to encourage the senior residents to get more exercise, the intergenerational group takes a stroll outside to collect leaves and flowers for an artwork. Eric is dragged up out of his seat by two of the kids who hitch a ride on his walking frame, but he can’t keep up and soon gets lost from the rest of the group.
But Aiden’s having none of it – he circles back to find Eric and refuses to leave his side, chanting “Go Eric! Go Eric! Go Eric!” until the pair of them make it back to the classroom.
We’re so quick to write-off the elderly, and at the same time massively underestimate how intelligent young kids can be. Add in the fact that many of the seniors on Old People’s Home For 4-Year-Olds say they don’t get regular visits from their own family, and this show is an overdue wake-up call for us all.
If you’re lucky enough to still have grandparents, go and visit them. Or check in on your elderly neighbour just to see how they’re doing. And if you still can’t be bothered getting out of your seat, sign up to Telecross and all you have to do is call an elderly person. That’s it. We can all do better here.