Older adults' perspective of intergenerational programme at senior day care centre in Singapore: A descriptive qualitative study

Community-dwelling older adults' experience after participating in intergenerational programs: A qualitative meta-synthesis

BACKGROUND

Gaining a better understanding of community-dwelling older adults' experience of participating in intergenerational programs (IGPs) is required to better care for older adults. This meta-synthesis aimed to synthesize qualitative research exploring community-dwelling older adults' experience of participating in intergenerational programs.

METHODS

Seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest) were systematically searched for eligible studies exploring the experience of older adults after participating in community-based intergenerational programs. Studies were included if they: had a qualitative research method; included experiences or feelings of community-dwelling older adults to the non-family intergenerational programs; and involved intergenerational programs designed for older adults over the age of 55 and children or youth from the age of 3 to 18. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist was used for the quality appraisal. Data synthesis was performed by Noblit and Hare's methodology.

RESULTS

Thirteen articles were reviewed and synthesized. Four themes were identified. The experiences of participating in intergenerational programs among community-dwelling older adults included fostering familial connections, creating and facilitating self-worth, building community cohesion, and issues and challenges.

CONCLUSION

The meta-synthesis proves that intergenerational programs have potential perceived benefits for older adults, but there can also be some risks and challenges if not managed well. Researchers need further research on facilitators and barriers to providing more targeted intergenerational interventions.

The impact of a student-led intergenerational support program on life satisfaction, loneliness, and psychological well-being of institutionalized older adults

BACKGROUND

Institutionalized older adults often face significant challenges that affect their psychological status and experience a sense of loss and social isolation. One promising approach is the implementation of intergenerational support programs, which foster interactions between older adults and younger generations.

AIM

To evaluate the effect of the Intergenerational Support Program on life satisfaction, sense of loneliness, and psychological status among institutionalized older adults.

METHOD

A quasi-experimental research design was conducted on a convenience sample of volunteer students and older adults. A total of 74 older adults were recruited and divided equally into two matched groups: study and control groups, with each group consisting of 37 institutionalized older adults.

TOOLS

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Socio-Demographic Data and presence of chronic diseases of older adults Structured Interview Schedule, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The study group received the proposed intergenerational support program, which included intergenerational sessions for each older adult occurring once a week for approximately one and a half to two hours over three months, totaling 12 sessions. The Chi test was used to test the association between two qualitative variables or to detect differences between two or more proportions.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 72.64 ± 7.52 years for the study group and 71.30 ± 8.41 years for the control group. Statistically significant differences were found between pre and post-intervention measurements in the study group regarding life satisfaction, sense of loneliness, depression, and anxiety (p = 0.000). In contrast, no statistically significant differences were found between pre and post-intervention measurements in the control group regarding life satisfaction (p = 0.212), sense of loneliness (p = 0.765), depression (p = 0.849) , and anxiety (p = 0.1068).

CONCLUSION

The proposed intergenerational support program significantly affects life satisfaction, feelings of loneliness, and psychological status.

IMPLICATIONS

Our findings foster strong relationships between students and older adults, emphasizing the importance of close and compatible interactions, which can build meaningful intergenerational bonds and offer emotional support and companionship to older adults.

Exploring public attitudes of continuing care retirement communities in China: a sentiment analysis of China's social media Weibo

Introduction

The traditional family responsibility system faces challenges as China undergoes rapid demographic shifts with an increasingly older population. Recognizing the potential of market-driven senior care, Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) have emerged as a significant alternative. However, cultural stigmas and concerns about the quality, services, and health of older adults in these facilities raise questions over their broad acceptance.

Methods

This study examines public sentiment toward CCRCs through sentiment analysis of 1,027,295 pre-processed Weibo posts. Utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) combined with fine-grained sentiment analysis and the Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency algorithm, the attitudes and emotions reflected in each data point are analyzed, identifying key contributing factors, and exploring the underlying reasons.

Results and discussion

The results reveal a predominantly positive sentiment toward CCRCs, emphasizing factors such as the living environment and government involvement. However, areas of concern, such as potential fraud and health and safety issues, remain. These findings both shed light on the public's acceptance or resistance to CCRCs for stakeholders and highlight the potential of social media analysis in shaping older people's care perceptions in today's China.

Intergenerational engagement with Asian residents in long-term care facilities: a mixed method systematic review

Introduction

Asian countries are experiencing a rapid rise in their aging populations. Cognitive and physical decline associated with aging can limit social interaction. This particularly impacts on those residing in long-term care facilities and engagement with children and young people. Intergenerational engagement has known benefits on the health and wellbeing of older people, it is unclear what the impact of intergeneration engagement interventions might have on older people in Asian long-term care settings. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and experiences of intergenerational engagement with older people in long-term care facilities in Asia.

Methods

Ten databases were searched to locate empirical studies of any design published in English or Chinese from January 2000 to June 2023. The search was limited to papers reporting effectiveness and/or experiences of intergenerational engagement on older people residing in Asian long-term care settings. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023413935) and followed PRISMA guidelines for reporting. A convergent design employing narrative synthesis was used to synthesize and integrate findings.

Results

From initial searches, 1,092 records were identified, of which 13 studies were retained for the review: 7 quantitative (including 1 randomized controlled trial, 1 cross-sectional observational design, and 5 quasi-experimental designs), 3 qualitative, and 3 mixed methods. Included studies were of variable quality. Quantitative evidence revealed that intergenerational engagement reduced depression (4.47 vs. 8.67, p = 0.005), negative emotions (14.11 vs. 16.56, p = 0.030), and feelings of loneliness (p < 0.01) among older people; and increased quality of life (mean change = -1.91; 95% CI = -3.18, -0.64) and strengthens interpersonal interactions (p = 0.025). Qualitative insights suggested that intergenerational engagement could foster emotional bonds, enhance intergenerational relationships, promote lifelong learning, satisfy social needs and improve older peoples' overall quality of life. However, some challenges such as language differences and noise levels can hinder successful implementation of intergenerational engagement.

Conclusion

This review indicates that intergenerational engagement can reduce depression and loneliness, improve quality of life, and strengthen social bonds for older individuals in Asian long-term care facilities. Despite some challenges, the evidence underlines its potential to meet the emotional and social needs of older people. Recognizing and addressing delivery challenges is essential for effective implementation.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023413935, identifier: CRD42023413935.

Barriers and facilitators to older adult participation in intergenerational physical activity program: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The intergenerational physical activity program aims to promote the health, social engagement, and well-being of older adults. It is essential to comprehend the barriers and facilitators that affect their involvement to develop successful intervention strategies. This systematic review critically examines available research to identify the factors that impact the participation of older adults in intergenerational physical activity programs.

METHODS

This study retrieved 13 electronic databases (from January 2000 to March 2023) and used a social-ecological model to classify and analyze the identified facilitators and barriers.

RESULTS

A total of 12 articles were included, which identified 73 facilitators and 37 barriers. These factors were condensed into 7 primary themes and 14 sub-themes in total.

CONCLUSIONS

The factors influencing the participation of older adults in intergenerational physical activities are multifaceted. These factors guide project developers, policymakers, and practitioners in developing and implementing intergenerational physical activity programs to help address global aging issues and promote intergenerational connections.

TRIAL REGISTRY

PROSPERO ID: CRD42023420758.

Association of intergenerational relationships with cognitive impairment among Chinese adults 80 years of age or older: prospective cohort study

Background

The oldest-old (aged 80 or older) are the most rapidly growing age group, and they are more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment, leading to severe medical and economic burdens. The influence of intergenerational relationships on cognition among Chinese oldest-old adults is not clear. We aim to examine the association of intergenerational relationships with cognitive impairment among Chinese adults aged 80 or older.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study, and data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, 14,180 participants aged 80 or older with at least one follow-up survey from 1998 to 2018. Cognitive impairment was assessed by the Chinese version of Mini Mental State Examination, and intergenerational relationships were assessed by getting main financial support from children, living with children or often being visited by children, and doing housework or childcare. We used time-varying Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of associations between intergenerational relationships and cognitive impairment.

Results

We identified 5443 incident cognitive impairments in the 24-cut-off MMSE cohort and 4778 in the 18-cut-off MMSE cohort between 1998 and 2018. After adjusting for a wide range of confounders, the HR was 2.50 (95% CI: 2.31, 2.72) in the old who received main financial support from children, compared with those who did not. The HR was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83, 0.95) in the oldest-old who did housework or childcare, compared with those who did not. However, there were no significant associations between older adults’ cognitive impairments and whether they were living with or often visited by their children. Our findings were consistent in two different MMSE cut-off values (24 vs. 18) for cognitive impairment.

Conclusions

Sharing housework or childcare for children showed a protective effect on older adults’ cognitive function, whereas having children provide primary financial support could increase the risk for cognitive impairments. Our findings suggest that governments and children should pay more attention to older adults whose main financial sources from their children. Children can arrange some easy tasks for adults 80 years of age or older to prevent cognitive impairments.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-03529-y.