Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Limited community programs address dementia stigma.
• Few food-based activities connect persons living with dementia (PWD) with youth.
• Intergenerational programs offer opportunities for connection across age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and develop meaningful components for an intergenerational cooking program.
• To assess the feasibility of a "Cooking Together" program prototype.
• To gather user feedback for program refinement.

Main Methods:

• Phase 1: Interviews with youth and PWD dyads to inform program design.
• Phase 2: A 4-week prototype tested with 15 participants (dementia day program attendees, facilitators, and young adults).
• Data collection via observation and interviews; content analysis for findings.

Main Results:

• Phase 1 identified key program components and potential challenges (e.g., scheduling).
• Phase 2 prototype was feasible, with participants noting benefits like socialization and dementia education.
• Feedback informed model refinement for future pilot testing.

Conclusions:

• A novel intergenerational cooking and nutrition program was created for community-dwelling PWD and young adults.
• The prototype demonstrated user interest and highlighted important outcome measures.