Day Care Kids Strike Up Friendship With Veteran Neighbor Who Has Dementia

A day care worker's social media account has gone viral, after she began to document how the children in her care have been helping an elderly neighbor with dementia. The children at Neverland Day Camp, in Vidalia, Louisiana, have struck up quite a bond with Gene McGhee, 91, a veteran who is affectionately known as Mr. Gene. In the heartwarming videos, the kids can be seen playing in front of Mr. Gene's house, striking up conversations and helping the nonagenarian hold on to memories past. Around three years ago, Megan Nunez, 31, who runs the daycare, moved across the street from Mr. Gene. It was then, Megan said, that she noticed the children she cares for – her two sons, as well as five other kids – striking up conversations with Mr. Gene as he was out working on his garden. Mr. Gene would always wave to the kids, Megan said, but over time, his dementia meant he stopped gardening, stopped waving, and stopped remembering any ties to them. That did not stop the children from enthusiastically keeping up their friendship, though, and over the years that followed, the boys would race their vehicles outside Mr. Gene's home, where he would come out to watch.