[Pre-post evaluation of an intergenerational program to improve wellbeing in older adults and age stereotypes in...

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the CRENCO project which was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic including intergenerational activities shared by students from primary and secondary education and users of two centers for older adults and a day hospital in Catalonia. The effectiveness was assessed in terms of well-being in older adults and on negative stereotypes about the elderly in primary and secondary students.

Three interventions were carried out in which 32 older persons (9 users of centers for older adults and 23 of a day hospital), 99 primary students and 56 secondary students participated. Participants answered a questionnaire before and after the interventions. Through multilevel linear models for repeated measures, changes in feelings of loneliness, social support, anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-reported health and health-related quality of life were evaluated in older people. In primary and secondary students, changes in age stereotypes were evaluated.

Health-related quality of life and self-reported health improved statistically after the interventions in older persons. Users of the day hospital also reported an improvement in social support. Primary school students improved their age stereotypes; no statistically significant changes were detected in secondary students.

The results of the present study contribute to underlining the importance of intergenerational programs such as the one proposed by CRENCO, capable of improving well-being and providing a more realistic vision of the older adults. Our results suggest that these programs should be implemented during childhood in order to prevent the proliferation of ageist stereotypes in later life stages.