A light-filled room near the rear of d’Youville Pavilion’s first floor is a symphony of children’s laughter, and the usually quiet nursing home is transformed every Saturday morning.

The intergenerational play group is in session.

Children ranging from ages 2 to 5 go between tables, giggling and poking buttons on motorized wheelchairs. But the residents don’t mind at all. Their laughter joins the din as they watch the tykes chase each other about.

“It gets us out of our rooms,” said Margaret Dearborn, 90, whose chair falls prey to inquisitive little fingers.

“We just have a blast here,” said another resident who only goes by the name Tamaranda. “I come in here a 83-year-old lady, and leave a child!”

Tamaranda, who stopped using her given name in the 1980s because she “always hated it,” likes to read her poetry to the kids, and simply watch them play. She revels in their naughtiness, ignoring them when they fiddle with the brakes of her wheelchair. 

The whirling activity around Tamaranda makes her gleeful.

“The children are wonderful! They are so interested in everything,” said the  mother of four and great-grandmother.

The intergenerational play group is the collaborative effort of executive secretary Julie Bero and activities coordinator Doris Forgues.

“We try to make it home-like here,” Bero, a mother of two, said. “And kids are part of the home.”

Bero also pointed out that the play group does not just benefit the elders, but the children also grow from their experiences there as well.

“My daughter was very, very shy.  This has helped her interact with others,” she said of her daughter Alexandra, 4. 

Laurie French of Sabattus brought her daughter for the first time Saturday. Her mother, 60 and diagnosed with two forms of dementia, lives with them at home.

“There is such a disconnect between the generations, especially with people moving out of Maine,” French said. “It’s important for both generations to be here. It keeps their minds active. Patients in a nursing home setting still need to feel like they’re contributing to society. Kids need to read after school or may need help with their homework, and these elders can do that. What a wonderful way to exercise their brain.”

What: Inter-genrational play group

Where: d’Youville Pavillion, first floor gym

When: Every Saturday from 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Who: Open to the community. You need not work or have a loved one at d’Youville

Cost: Free