Comparing Community-based Intergenerational Activities in Israel: Participants, Programs, and Perceived Outcomes

Jiska Cohen-Mansfield*, Aline Muff

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigated whether the content of different community-based intergenerational programs (IGPs) affects their perceived impact on older and younger participants. Data were collected through direct structured questionnaires administered to 84 older, and 96 younger participants, and were assessed using both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Different IGP types involved participants with differing background characteristics and were associated with different benefits and challenges. In art programs, older participants reported being more active and younger participants indicated more awareness of others, but also greater stress. Learning programs contributed to older persons’ happiness, and younger persons’ acquisition of new skills, but were also associated with divergent expectations between young and old, and a perception that young participants lacked commitment. Assistance programs attracted older participants with greater needs, and were associated with such benefits as alleviating older persons’ loneliness, improving younger participants’ satisfaction from helping, but also involved challenges pertaining to the relationship termination. Generally, older participants reported more benefits than younger persons. The results highlight the need to differentiate between IGP types, a distinction not addressed in previous studies. The combination of activity content and participant characteristics and needs may lead to different perceived program impacts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)495-511
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Gerontological Social Work
Volume65
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Intergenerational programs
  • community-based programs
  • intergenerational program evaluation
  • intergenerational relations
  • older adults
  • young persons

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