Young adults benefit from forming meaningful relationships with older adults through participation in intergenerational programs. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of an intergenerational volunteer program with people living with dementia on various university student characteristics. During an eight to twelve-month period, university students connected virtually or in person with a person living with dementia residing in the community or within a long-term care facility. Six scales were administered to assess changes in empathy, mood, psychological well-being, sensitivity to justice, and attitudes towards older adults and community service. Results demonstrated that young adults experienced adverse challenges during their volunteering experiences which could be attributed to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, students were able to reduce their negative attitudes towards older adults. Findings generated from this study enhance our understanding of university students’ experiences volunteering virtually in meaningful one-on-one continued interaction with a person living with dementia although more research is still needed under less stressful global crises.

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School Buses for Students Supporting Seniors (SBFSSS) is an intergenerational program which utilizes school buses to transport high school students to visit homebound seniors for engagement in common occupations. It addresses current issues of social isolation of aging in place seniors and age-segregation communication of cell phone using teens. / 2021-06-18T00:00:00Z

SAMMANFATTNINGBakgrund: Antalet äldre i Sverige blir fler och medellivslängden ökar. Meningsfulla aktiviteter, balans mellan förmågor och utmaningar samt positiv livssyn framkom som förutsättningar för att uppnå hälsa hos äldre. När äldre beskriver lycka påtalas ofta barn. Ohälsa i form av ensamhet och social isolering kan skapa lidande för äldre. Problem: Flytt till vårdboende kan vara fyllt med oro och skapa ensamhet. Ensamhet är en hälsorisk. I samband med ökat vårdbehov kan äldres sociala kontakter minska vilket kan leda till nedstämdhet. I förlängningen kan nedstämdhet generera social isolering som kan leda till ohälsa. Syfte: Att skapa en översikt om hur äldre på vårdboende påverkas av möten med barn i IGP. Metod: Sex kvalitativa, fyra kvantitativa samt två mixed-method artiklar analyserades i en allmän litteraturöversikt. Resultat: Tillfredsställelse och förbättrad livskvalitet främjades vid interaktioner med barn. Barnens närvaro genererade energi och minskade agitationer. Sociala samspelet mellan barn och äldre ökade efter hand. Intag av läkemedel minskade när äldre vistades med barnen. Högljudda och livliga barn genererade ibland stress hos de äldre. Slutsatser: Möten över generationsgränser kan bidra till stärkt hälsa och livskvalitet hos äldre. Barnens närvaro bidrog till ökad energi och minskad användning av läkemedel. Interaktionen mellan deltagarna ökade under intergenerationsprogrammet. / Background: The number of elderly people in Sweden is increasing and their life span increases. Meaningful activities, challenges, balance between abilities and a positive view of life, emerged as prerequisites for achieving health of the elderly. When elders describe happiness, children are often a part of it. Illness in shape of loneliness and social isolation can create suffering for elderly people. Problem: Moving into a nursing home can create illness in shape of anxiety and loneliness. Loneliness is a health risk. In connection with an increased need for care, the social contacts of the elderly may decrease, which may lead to depression. In the long run, depression can generate social isolation that can lead to illness. Aim: To create an overview of how the elderly in nursing homes are affected by meetings with children in IGP. Method: Six qualitative, four quantitative and two mixed-methods-articles has been analyzed in a common literature review. Result: Satisfaction and increased quality of life was promoted by interaction with children. The presence of the children created energy and declined agitations. Social bonding between children and adults increased over time. The use of medications decreased when the elderly got to interact with children. Loudly and lively children was sometimes generating stress. Conclusions: Meetings over generations can maintain health and quality of life. The presence of children contributed with increased energy and less use of medications. Interaction between the participants increased during the intergenerational program.

The built environment can be structured to encourage or discourage social interaction and can have effects on children's cognitive, social, and emotional development as well as effects on elder's health and well-being. Knowing the profound influence of the built environment on elders (Garin, et al., 2014) and children (Bradford, 2012), the design of intergenerational spaces therefore has the potential to influence the interaction between elders and children engaged in intergenerational programming. Intergenerational care programs present opportunities for cooperation and exchange of skills, knowledge, and experience between people of different age groups (Bradford, 2012; Jarrott, 2011; Kaplan et al., 2002; Newman, 1997). Highlighting the common points and connections between architectural phenomenology and human development theories, this study presents the benefit of developmental theories being applied empirically in architectural design when creating intergenerational facilities in order to enhance the quality of intergenerational interactions. To address this goal, this study examines physical environments that can effectively and efficiently provide intergenerational services. The objectives of this study are to find out (1) whether or not the identification and adaptation of human development theories and architectural phenomenology inform the extension of normative design for intergenerational facilities and (2) in what ways do architectural conditions of an intergenerational space meet the needs of multiple age groups and facilitates interaction. The study uses grounded theory framework to develop a theory related to the influence of spatial design on the quality of intergenerational interactions. To accomplish this, a phenomenological description of different intergenerational spaces was conducted, followed by four to six hours of behavioral/observation mapping of the intergenerational space. The investigator interviewed the architect(s) to ascertain their main ideas and the purpose of designing the building, and the people (participants, educators, coordinators, and facilitators) involved with the intergenerational programs to indicate how the space influences intergenerational interaction. The result of reviewing and analyzing the collected data is a new model of design process grounded in theoretical tenets of personhood and contact theory and applicable for designing intergenerational facilities. / Ph. D.