She was all I could think about – in between the heaving sobs – while watchingOld People’s Home for Teenagers,the next step in the ABC’s radical social experiment that aims to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations.
It all started in 2019,when a group of elderly volunteers were matched with a group of rambunctious four-year-olds in an effort to increase the mental and physical wellbeing of the older people. It was heart-warming TV,the kind I usually run a mile from,but it sucked me in. Who could resist the kind of uncomplicated joy a four-year-old can bring to someone’s day?
The producers have now fast-forwarded through the age groups and matched a group of elderly people with teenagers,who are labelled a “notoriously difficult” demographic. What they have in common with the older people,however,is the real kicker:they’re all lonely. Desperately lonely.
The teenagers – who are aged between 14 and 16 – worry they don’t know how to talk to older people,one says,“I feel like they just read the newspaper all day” (hi,dear readers!) The older volunteers,meanwhile,who are aged between 74 and 93,also worry they will have nothing to talk to them about. (Phillip,the show’s resident grouch,thinks teens just spend all their time on their phones).
That doesn’t deter everyone,though. Sweet 15-year-old Miles instantly strikes up a bond with Jim over their love of computers,while 93-year-old firecracker Aranka slowly starts to break down Fred’s hesitation about physical contact. Retired naval captain Ken,a total gem,takes his time with Louis,who is grieving the death of his father.