Kissing it Better

Mission

KiB is working to end the isolation of old age by bringing the generations together. Our imaginative healthcare projects make an immediate and lasting difference to the lives of older people. Our teaching and training programmes make our expertise available to everyone.

“The beauty of the Kissing It Better model is that everyone involved benefits – the patients and their carers, the staff, those giving their time, the provider as a whole and the community.” NHS England report.

Our talented team have experience from across healthcare and education, as well as the media and performance industries.

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Aims

Our Team

Kristy Adams, Project Director, Kent and Sussex

Dementia care specialist. Ambassador for Alzheimer's Society. Hermione Granger superfan.

Jill Fraser, Chief Executive

Nurse. BBC reporter. Once chased by a real and very large elephant in Windsor.

Liberty Adams-Crichton, Communications Lead

Rank Foundation Time to Shine Leader. Photographer & social media specialist. Knows the words to every Disney song.

Millie Glover, Young People’s Innovation Lead

Rank Foundation Time to Shine Leader. Psychology Graduate. Could most definitely recite the film Grease word for word.

Nicola Gossip, Music Director, London

Drama school principal. Actress. Obsessed with derelict public buildings.

Caty Oates, Project Director, Warwickshire

Teacher. Careers & employment specialist. Owner of a giant African land snail called Speedy.

Susan Walls, Project Development Director

Journalist. Children’s television producer. Danni Minogue once wore her bikini.

Rachel Middleton, In My Day Project Lead

Speech & language therapist. Puzzle aficionado and enthusiastic chorister.

Our projects

When Great Granny Came to Stay

This is a fun, interactive workshop for primary schools across the country. These sessions are designed to help young children understand the challenges of old age; they’ve been shown to help children to engage more effectively with older relatives and neighbours. After our workshop, we help primary schools connect with local care homes.

 

Primary School & Care Home Twinning Projects

Research shows that regular visits with older people help children develop new communication skills, encouraging them to speak clearly and make eye contact. These sessions also light up the day for older people and help them to feel valued and cared for. And for both age groups, there’s the simple joy of making new friends and hearing new stories.

Volunteering Projects

We offer a rich range of ways for students to volunteer and enhance the lives of older people, from supervised Zooms into care facilities and the homes of people living alone; to masterclasses showing young people how to support family members and older people in their community.

Zoom Comedy Drama

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been running Zoom comedy drama groups for older people. What started as a simple idea to lift lockdown loneliness has turned into an ongoing programme that gives older people the chance to learn new skills and meet new friends … all from the comfort of their own home. You can watch a clip here.

 

Comedy Drama in Care Homes

This is a brand new project, allowing older people with mobility and memory challenges to have fun and learn new skills. It’s ‘sitting down’ drama, so completely inclusive: everyone can take part, whatever their physical challenges and we never come off script, so nobody needs to learn words.

Hospital & Care Home Visits

When rules allow, we organise visits from local schools to cheer up older patients being cared for in hospitals and care homes: young volunteers use their skills to engage and entertain with music and conversation. We also distribute hand-made cards and gifts from our talented KiB volunteers.

Care Home Events

We create vintage-themed events at special times of year. In summertime, KiB volunteers host garden parties, with old fashioned games like cat’s cradle and hula hoop, followed by traditional afternoon tea with jam sandwiches and Victoria sponge.

Music Sessions

We run a range of music projects, designed to help older people feel happier, more connected and socially included. The programme delivers live outdoor and indoor music events at community centres, care homes and sheltered accommodation.  Our team of young creatives offer classic tunes, from vintage pop to swing and jazz

Zoom Singalong Sessions

We offer specially-designed digital music sessions for the growing number of older people who learned to use Zoom during the pandemic. Our Zoom Vintage Pop Choir gives older people the chance to learn new skills in a safe and inclusive environment. Zoom means muted mics for everyone except for the teacher, so you can belt out a tune without fear of going off-key.

Corporate Partnerships

We offer a host of ways for companies to get involved with our intergenerational work. For instance, we’ve teamed with Coopers of Stortford to create a programme of staff volunteering and local events.

Special Healthcare Educational Projects

We’re working with healthcare professionals to promote the importance of good hydration in older people. For instance, KiB volunteers are creating posters, flyers and artwork for patients, as well as small gifts to remind patients to drink.

 

Our Patrons

Dr Phil Hammond

Phil is a physician, broadcaster, comedian and commentator on health issues in the United Kingdom. He’s been a tremendous supporter of our work, and even managed to include KiB in his NHS comedy script on BBC Radio 4. He says: “If I was given a million pounds, I’d give it to Kissing it Better. They put the fun and painted nails back into healthcare.”

Sir Andrew Motion

English poet, novelist, biographer, and former Poet Laureate. He joined us on projects reading poetry to care home residents and found the experience profoundly moving. “The beneficial effects are extraordinary. I’ve also seen how much good it does for the young people delivering poetry and music to the elderly residents.”

Sunny Ormonde

Sunny is a radio, television and stage actress who’s been lighting up The Archers for almost 20 years with her portrayal of the outrageous Lillian Bellamy. Away from Ambridge, she’s played everything from Shakespeare to Grange Hill. She also inspires the next generation of young actors by teaching Radio Technique at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She says: “I am so delighted to be a patron of this wonderful charity.”

Our funders

Logo: The Rank Foundation
Logo: The Rank Foundation
Logo: The Rank Foundation
Logo: The Rank Foundation