Implementing Intergenerational Best Practices in Community-Based Settings: A Preliminary Study

Evidence-based intergenerational (IG) programs bring youth and older adults together in shared activities and promote socioemotional health across age-groups. The core components of these IG programs include 14 IG "best practices" that should be implemented during IG program sessions to optimize program effectiveness for both youth and older adult participants. Despite the proliferation of IG programs across the United States, it is unclear the extent to which these IG best practices have been implemented in the community. This preliminary study assesses the implementation of IG best practices at two community-based sites by program leaders who participated in a multifaceted professional education intervention for IG best practice use. Implementation of best practices was measured through the Best Practices Checklist completed by program leaders and trained coders as well as through narrative written comments. Program leaders indicated that they were able to consistently implement six out of the 14 IG best practices in 46 IG sessions, whereas the best practice named "Adaptations to equipment were made" was least likely to be implemented. Analysis of narrative comments indicated that (a) the group arrangement of participants and (b) program leaders' familiarity with activities also influenced implementation. While many IG best practices can be implemented in the community, some best practices can be implemented with greater ease and consistency. Training resources can support IG best practice implementation; however, our multifaceted professional education intervention may benefit from the addition of case examples or vignettes to depict potential strategies for optimizing evidence-based IG practices.