Benefits of an Intergenerational Program on the Health and Wellbeing of Older Adults in a Day Treatment Program

The purpose of this study is to describe how a 5-week shared-site intergenerational program increases wellbeing in older adults. Implementation of the research took place once a week at Generations Crossing in Harrisonburg, VA. Generations Crossing is a combined adult day center and a preschool. For five weeks, participants were presented with an activity that had the main goal of promoting social interactions between the older adults and the children. Data collectors used the Intergenerational Observation Scale (IOS) to record five older adults. The IOS determined how well intergenerational programming supported social interaction and positive affects between the two generations. Each week, the adult staff members were given a survey inquiring if they noticed any differences in their assigned adult\u27s behavior or affect. Two additional questions were given at the end of the program to record any long-term changes