Loneliness can creep in and cause suffering to people at any age. But it can be especially debilitating to older adults.

In order to help their residents cope with the feeling of loneliness, Providence Mount St. Vincent, a senior care facility in Seattle, also serves as a daycare and preschool, giving the young and the old a chance to interact, learn and play together.

As part of a documentary that explores the subject of loneliness, Filmmaker Evan Briggs spent over three years investigating and documenting the interactions between children and the elderly at St. Vincent.

“Over the course of the months I was filming at the Mount, I observed many incredible exchanges between residents and kids,” Briggs wrote on the documentary’s website. “Some were sweet, some awkward, some funny – all of them poignant and heartbreakingly real.”

One particularly touching scene in the film’s trailer involves a young boy and an elderly man meeting for the first time. The man asks him, “What’s your name?” The boy replies with his name, Max, but the senior is hard of hearing and asks the boy to repeat himself. While some people might have become frustrated, little Max is adorably patient with his new friend.

“Watching them both try to fumble through with limited dexterity was kind of painful but sweet… you could tell the kids felt, we’re doing this together, and we’re helping each other,” Briggs told CNN.

Watch the touching video below, and please SHARE if you think this is a great program for both the elderly and the young.

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