The Value of Intergenerational Activities for Nursery Children and Older Adults

Kirsty Rogers, PhD Researcher

The UK population includes over 11 million people over the age of 65, and in the next 20 years the population aged 65 and over is expected to increase by almost a third (ONS, 2022). A growing number of older people are experiencing poverty, discrimination, and poor health (Centre for ageing better, 2023). In response to the shifting age demographic there is a demand for new approaches which address the inequalities people experience as they grow older.

Evidence suggests that communities are becoming increasingly age-segregated and increasing levels of age-segregation could be contributing to growth in stereotypes between the young and old (Intergenerational Foundation, 2017). Supporting interpersonal contact and reducing age-segregation through intergenerational activities has the potential to assist with preventing the development of negative stereotypes. Avoiding development of negative stereotypes is not only beneficial to older adults in terms of preventing ageism, but also children as they develop by preventing internalising stereotypes which could impact on their own successful ageing process (Crystal et al., 2008).

Existing research regarding intergenerational activities primarily focuses on the experience of older adults, particularly those with dementia, and is mainly based in care homes with a lack of evidence from older adults residing in the community. The present research aims to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks for both preschool children <4 and older adults >65 who participate in intergenerational activities, in care homes and within community projects.

The study will investigate effects of intergenerational activities on social interaction, loneliness, sense of community, and wellbeing. The study is a mixed methods triangulation design comprising of unstructured observations, qualitative questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews and data collected via these methods will be analysed using thematic analysis. Survey data will also be collected at the beginning and end of new programmes and quantitative analysis will be conducted to
determine whether intergenerational programmes have any effect on loneliness, quality of life, and sense of community for older adults.

For more information on the research, contact kirsty.rogers@wrexham.ac.uk 

_{Centre for Ageing Better. (2023). Our ageing population: The State of Ageing 2023-24. https://ageing-better.org.uk/our-ageing-population-state-ageing-2023-4}

_{Crystal, D. S., Killen, Melanie., & Ruck, Martin. (2008). It is who you know that counts: Intergroup contact and judgments about race‐based exclusion. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 26(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1348/026151007x198910}

_{Intergenerational Foundation. (2017, July 11). Generations apart? the growth of age segregation in England and Wales. https://www.if.org.uk/research-posts/generations-apart-the-growth-of-age-segregation-in-england-and-wales/}

_{Office for National Statistics. (2022). Population projections. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationprojection}s