A Survey of Intergenerational Programs in Australian Residential Aged Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nathan M D'Cunha; Stephanie Mulhall; Helen Holloway; Diane Gibson; Katrina Anderson; Annaliese Blair; Kasia Bail; Daniela Castro De Jong; Susan Kurrle; Stephen Isbel

doi:10.1080/15350770.2023.2226663

A Survey of Intergenerational Programs in Australian Residential Aged Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nathan M D'Cunha, Stephanie Mulhall, Helen Holloway, Diane Gibson, Katrina Anderson, Annaliese Blair, Kasia Bail, Daniela Castro De Jong, Susan Kurrle, Stephen Isbel

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

People living in residential aged care homes in Australia often have limited opportunities for meaningful social engagement. The present study aimed to characterize the state of intergenerational programs in residential aged care within a nationwide Australian sample. A total of 572 valid survey responses were received. A large number of aged care homes had existing programs, but only 18.2% had active programs; 44.4% reported their programs as temporarily suspended, predominantly due to COVID-19. The most common activities included singing (67.8%), games (56.8%), reading (51.1%) and craft (41.5%). Mental health and wellbeing, opportunity to socialize, and connection with the community were considered as the main benefits. There is consensus on the benefits of well-placed programming and engagement. Several barriers and challenges to engagement exist, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Aged care homes need adequate information and support to increase their ability to offer intergenerational programs between residents and community members.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	423-442
Number of pages	20
Journal	Journal of Intergenerational Relationships
Volume	22
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2023.2226663
Publication status	Published - 2024

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title = "A Survey of Intergenerational Programs in Australian Residential Aged Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic",

abstract = "People living in residential aged care homes in Australia often have limited opportunities for meaningful social engagement. The present study aimed to characterize the state of intergenerational programs in residential aged care within a nationwide Australian sample. A total of 572 valid survey responses were received. A large number of aged care homes had existing programs, but only 18.2% had active programs; 44.4% reported their programs as temporarily suspended, predominantly due to COVID-19. The most common activities included singing (67.8%), games (56.8%), reading (51.1%) and craft (41.5%). Mental health and wellbeing, opportunity to socialize, and connection with the community were considered as the main benefits. There is consensus on the benefits of well-placed programming and engagement. Several barriers and challenges to engagement exist, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Aged care homes need adequate information and support to increase their ability to offer intergenerational programs between residents and community members.",

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note = "Funding Information: This project was funded by Northern Sydney Local Health District. The authors would like to thank the participants for the time taken to complete our survey. We would also like to thank Bre Cave, Alysson Flynn, Craig Greber and Fanke Peng for their contributions to the research. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.",

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AU - Castro De Jong, Daniela

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AU - Isbel, Stephen

N1 - Funding Information: This project was funded by Northern Sydney Local Health District. The authors would like to thank the participants for the time taken to complete our survey. We would also like to thank Bre Cave, Alysson Flynn, Craig Greber and Fanke Peng for their contributions to the research. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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A Survey of Intergenerational Programs in Australian Residential Aged Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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