Implementing an interdisciplinary intergenerational program using the Cyber Seniors® reverse mentoring model within higher education

The lost art of intergenerational mentorship in health services research and teaching in pharmacy: The CRoME lab example

INTRODUCTION

Intergenerational mentorship (IM) promotes collaborative learning while challenging traditional hierarchies by promoting bidirectional knowledge exchange between experienced professionals and students. The IM model emphasizes "reverse mentoring" to foster relationships based on respect, responsibility, reciprocity, and resiliency while enhancing education and mentorship quality in the pharmacy and health services research.

PERSPECTIVE

The Collaborative Research on Medication use & family health (CRoME) Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy showcases intergenerational mentorship in health services research in pharmacy. With a diverse team, including faculty, research scientists, and students, this research Lab specifically applies IM principle into every aspect of teaching and research with a unique focus on building students' skills in community-engaged leadership. For example, student members of the CRoME Lab are mentored to integrate youth perspectives into all aspects of their research and collaborate with multiple advisory boards to improve the quality of their health services research projects. All student members are provided various opportunities to practice community-based and scientific presentations and publication skills. Emphasizing community-engaged leadership extends impact beyond academia, highlighting intergenerational mentorship's influence on community engagement in the field of pharmacy.

IMPLICATIONS

The CRoME Lab highlights the profound impact of intergenerational mentorship in pharmacy, fostering collaboration and developing highly skilled pharmacists. This approach is crucial for shaping a blend of tradition and innovation, while benefiting the pharmacy profession by facilitating knowledge transfer, continuous learning, and leadership development among successful alumni.

Pilot testing the Engaging Generations (eGen) Program to address social well-being among lower-income older adults

Introduction

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to address digital inclusion and social well-being for older adults was particularly apparent for those from disadvantaged communities. This pilot program provided access to technology and intergenerational mentorship to older adult participants interested in receiving and learning how to utilize an iPad. Pre/post-changes were examined for social well-being in the areas of quality of life, social isolation, and loneliness.

Methods

This study conducted pre- and post-surveys with older participants (n = 145) from five disadvantaged communities in the United States utilizing standardized measures. One-on-one interviews were conducted post-program (n = 98) to examine participants' perceptions of the program and evaluate its impact on social measures.

Results

The study sample included older adults (Mean age = 72.3) who were mostly lower income (82.3%) and self-reported as Black (13.6%), Hispanic (21.7%), and White (56.5%). Significant differences were identified in participant pre/post-survey scores for social isolation, loneliness, and a global measure of quality of life. Qualitative analyses suggest improvements in various aspects of social well-being. Themes showed that participants believed the program contributed to (1) enhanced mood and mental health, (2) improved quality of life, (3) sense of purpose and feelings of being less alone, (4) ability to use video calling to connect with others; and (5) ability to more freely use email, texting, and messaging to communicate with others.

Discussion

This research demonstrates that this pilot program seemed to contribute to reduced social isolation and loneliness for participants, and participants stated more positive social well-being following program participation. However, future research with larger samples is needed to expand upon these findings. Future studies will examine the pathways between technology improvements and social well-being and examine group differences.

Digital Literacy Training for Low-Income Older Adults Through Undergraduate Community-Engaged Learning: Single-Group Pretest-Posttest Study

BACKGROUND

Digital technology is a social determinant of health that affects older people's ability to engage in health maintenance and disease prevention activities; connect with family and friends; and, more generally, age in place. Unfortunately, disparities in technology adoption and use exist among older adults compared with other age groups and are even greater among low-income older adults.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we described the development and implementation of a digital literacy training program designed with the dual goals of training low-income older adults in the community and teaching students about aging using a community-engaged learning (CEL) approach.

METHODS

The training program was embedded within a 10-week CEL course that paired undergraduates (N=27) with low-income older adults (n=18) for 8 weeks of digital literacy training. Older adults and students met weekly at the local senior center for the training. Students also met in the classroom weekly to learn about aging and how to use design thinking to train their older adult trainees. Both older adults and students completed pre- and posttraining surveys.

RESULTS

Older adults demonstrated increased digital literacy skills and confidence in the use of digital technology. Loneliness did not change from pre to postassessment measurements; however, older adults showed improvements in their attitudes toward their own aging and expressed enthusiasm for the training program. Although students' fear of older adults did not change, their comfort in working with older adults increased. Importantly, older adults and students expressed positive feelings about the trainee-trainer relationship that they formed during the training program.

CONCLUSIONS

A CEL approach that brings together students and low-income older adults in the community has a strong potential to reduce the digital divide experienced by underserved older adults. Additional work is needed to explore the efficacy and scalability of this approach in terms of older adults' digital literacy as well as other potential benefits to both older and younger adults.

Reverse Mentoring in Nursing Education

BACKGROUND

Nurse educators are challenged to prepare an expanding number of diverse students with various sociocultural and generational differences. Whether diversity, sociocultural, and/or generational divides are contributory, a perennial decline exists of historically disenfranchised students finishing nursing programs. Reverse mentoring is an innovative adaption of traditional mentoring. Reverse mentoring is a practice that reverses traditional mentor and mentee roles, which may mitigate diverse and intergenerational misconceptions.

PURPOSE

To prepare a diverse nursing workforce, educators should integrate strategies to embrace differences, reduce biases, remove learning barriers, and value learning new teaching methods.

METHODS

A literature review revealed few articles on reverse mentoring in nursing education.

RESULTS

Reverse mentoring is a successful strategy in many Fortune 500 companies. Therefore, reverse mentoring may demonstrate promise in nursing education.

CONCLUSION

Exploring reverse mentoring in nursing education may reveal strategies to elucidate and mitigate biases and barriers in nursing education.

Racial and ethnic differences in predictors of participation in an intergenerational social connectedness intervention for older adults

BACKGROUND

Social connectedness is a key determinant of health and interventions have been developed to prevent social isolation in older adults. However, these interventions have historically had a low participation rate amongst minority populations. Given the sustained isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important to understand what factors are associated with an individual's decision to participate in a social intervention. To achieve this, we used machine learning techniques to model the racial and ethnic differences in participation in social connectedness interventions.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a social connectedness intervention that paired college students with Houston-area community-dwelling older adults (> 65 yo) enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Eligible participants were contacted telephonically and asked to complete the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. We used the following machine-learning methods to identify significant predictors of participation in the program: k-nearest neighbors, logistic regression, decision tree, gradient-boosted decision tree, and random forest.

RESULTS

The gradient-boosted decision tree models yielded the best parameters for all race/ethnicity groups (96.1% test accuracy, 0.739 AUROC). Among non-Hispanic White older adults, key features of the predictive model included Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) score, Medicare prescription risk score, Medicare risk score, and depression and anxiety indicators within the FCI. Among non-Hispanic Black older adults, key features included disability, Medicare prescription risk score, FCI and Medicare risk scores. Among Hispanic older adults, key features included depression, FCI and Medicare risk scores.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings offer a substantial opportunity for the design of interventions that maximize engagement among minority groups at greater risk for adverse health outcomes.

[Implantation de l'Accompagnement-citoyen personnalisé d'intégration communautaire (APIC) : vers l'optimisation de la mise en œuvre de cette approche novatrice visant la participation sociale des aînés]

La présente étude visait à documenter l'implantation de l'Accompagnement-citoyen personnalisé d'intégration communautaire (APIC), lors duquel des bénévoles soutiennent la participation sociale d'aînés, dans des organismes communautaires en identifiant les facteurs favorables et défavorables ainsi que ses conditions essentielles. Soutenu par un devis qualitatif descriptif de type recherche clinique, une rencontre et six entretiens semi-dirigés ont été réalisés afin de documenter cette implantation dans six organismes communautaires œuvrant en milieu urbain au Québec (Canada). Selon les six coordonnatrices de l'APIC, les cinq directeurs généraux et l'agente de recherche, le principal facteur favorable est la conviction des responsables de l'implantation en la valeur ajoutée de l'intervention, incluant sa concordance avec la mission et les valeurs des organismes et les besoins de la population qu'ils desservent. Les facteurs défavorables sont principalement la répartition aléatoire et le temps accordé pour l'implantation. Ces résultats permettront de mieux guider l'implantation de l'APIC à plus grande échelle.

Associations Between Everyday ICT Usage and (Self-)Ageism: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Both rapid technological changes and (self-)ageism are pervasive challenges of the 21st century, potentially affecting older adults' everyday functioning, health, and well-being. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize scholarly evidence to determine the associations between everyday information and communication technology (EICT) usage and (self-)ageism as well as potential moderators.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A systematic search was performed in 8 academic databases, covering the time frame from January 1995 to January 2021. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria and were involved in the analysis. The standardized National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's quality assessment tools were used for risk bias.

RESULTS

Several studies demonstrated significant associations between EICT usage and stereotype embodiment (n = 8), stereotype threat (n = 2), and age discrimination (n = 3). Age (group), gender, and motivation were examined as potential moderators.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This review provides initial evidence on the associations between (self-)ageism and EICT usage. It highlights the importance of positive subjective aging perceptions for active EICT usage in older adults, but also emphasizes the detrimental consequences of ageism in EICT learning settings and technology design on older persons' willingness and ability to use EICT. Further ecologically valid and methodologically sound research is needed to better understand both the nature and direction of the association between EICT usage and (self-)ageism.

Intergenerational programming during the pandemic: Transformation during (constantly) changing times

Intergenerational programs have long been employed to reduce ageism and optimize youth and older adult development. Most involve in-person meetings, which COVID-19 arrested. ​​Needs for safety and social contact were amplified during COVID-19, leading to modified programming that engaged generations remotely rather than eliminating it. Our collective case study incorporates four intergenerational programs in five US states prior to and during COVID-19. Each aims to reduce ageism, incorporating nutrition education, technology skills, or photography programming. Authors present case goals, participants, implementation methods, including responses to COVID-19, outcomes, and lessons learned. Technology afforded opportunities for intergenerational connections; non-technological methods also were employed. Across cases, programmatic foci were maintained through adaptive programming. Community partners' awareness of immediate needs facilitated responsive programming with universities, who leveraged unique resources. While new methods and partnerships will continue post-pandemic, authors concurred that virtual contact cannot fully substitute for in-person relationship-building. Remote programming maintained ties between groups ready to resume shared in-person programming as soon as possible; they now have tested means for responding to routine or novel cancellations of in-person programming. Able to implement in-person and remote intergenerational programming, communities can fight ageism and pursue diverse goals regardless of health, transportation, weather, or other restrictions.

Virtual Intergenerational Reverse-Mentoring Program Reduces Loneliness among Older Adults: Results from a Pilot Evaluation

Social isolation and loneliness can create negative health outcomes for older adults. Informed by social capital and intergroup contact theories, our goal was to reduce these social problems using an intergenerational reverse-mentoring program. During fall 2020, we implemented an adapted, fully online version of Cyber-Seniors that encouraged undergraduate students to provide technology mentoring to local older adults in a seven-county area in rural Appalachia. We recruited gerontology students through the university and local older adults through local aging organizations. We collected data through pre-and post-tests that included validated measures (Lubben Social Network Scale-6 and UCLA 3-item loneliness scale) and open-ended questions about the program. Thirty-one students and nine older adults completed the pre-survey; twenty students and eight older adults completed the post-survey. We made comparisons using t-tests and considered p < 0.20 to indicate meaningful differences given the anticipated small sample size in this pilot project. Isolation did not change among older adults but increased among students in the family domain (p = 0.14) between baseline and follow-up. Loneliness improved between the pre- and post-tests among older adults (mean: 5.6 (SD = 2.2) to 4.1 (SD = 1.3), p = 0.17) but not among students (mean: 5.0 (SD = 1.5) to 5.2 (SD = 1.7), p = 0.73). In open-ended responses, older adults described learning new ways to interact with friends and family as a result of the program. This program was acceptable and suggested effectiveness in an important health-related domain (loneliness). While larger studies are needed to fully test the program’s impact, this pilot evaluation suggests that reverse mentoring programs can be implemented virtually and may improve social outcomes.

What Role Does Geragogy Play in the Delivery of Digital Skills Programs for Middle and Older Age Adults? A Systematic Narrative Review

This systematic narrative review aimed to explore the implementation and delivery of digital skills programs for middle and older age adults; and understand the presence of adult learning theory (namely, geragogy/critical geragogy) in their delivery. A database search was undertaken to examine international literature, published between 2010 and 2020. From 1,713 papers identified during the database searches, 17 papers were included. Thematic synthesis was used to analyze the papers in this review. Themes were generated relating to the implementation and delivery of digital skills programs: negative perceptions of aging; the learning environment; and value of technology. The role of geragogy/critical geragogy is not explicit in the delivery of digital skills programs in this review but has an underlying thread of empowerment and embodies the ethos of these learning theories to some extent. The findings of this review have been used to develop recommendations for delivering digital skills to older adults.

Age-Friendly University environmental scan: Exploring "age-friendliness" with stakeholders at one regional comprehensive university

Internationally, universities are recognizing the importance of understanding and enhancing age as a component of diversity and inclusion efforts through the Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative. Eastern Michigan University (EMU) joined the AFU Network in 2018 and has been conducting an environmental scan of supports, weaknesses, and opportunities for age inclusiveness since this time. This article describes a qualitative exploratory study undertaken as part of the Environmental Scan that aimed to understand the perspectives of university stakeholders on supports, barriers, and opportunties to age-friendliness. Twenty-eight participant stakeholders from divisions across the university campus were purposefully sampled to engage in in-depth interviews that were recorded and transcribed. Qualitative thematic findings generated through constant comparative method of analysis include: Experience Sharing, Need for Intentionality in Age-Friendly Efforts, and Existence of Age-Inclusivity Barriers and Opportunities for Change.

Benefits, Satisfaction and Limitations Derived from the Performance of Intergenerational Virtual Activities: Data from a General Population Spanish Survey

The growing social gap between people of different generations has led to a greater interest in the study of intergenerational interactions. Digital technologies have become necessary for people of all ages to perform daily activities, increasingly including older people. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and virtual tools can provide older people with excellent opportunities to connect with other generations, improving their quality of life and well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the benefits, satisfaction, and limitations of intergenerational interactions generated by the use of virtual tools. The participants are subjects of any age and different social groups residing in Spain and have completed an online survey. The analysis of sociodemographic data of the respondents showed that there is a significant correlation between the use of social networks and all the variables analyzed, except for their level of autonomy. Most participants who participated in intergenerational virtual activities reported the benefits of their social participation, relationships, mood, mental health, and academic education. Moreover, most participants were quite or very satisfied with the person with whom they used the virtual tools, especially if the person was a friend, their partner, sibling, another relative, or colleague. Except for grandparents, people who participated in intergenerational virtual activities and who had no limitations or disabilities were more frequently reported by the participants. In conclusion, intergenerational interactions through the use of virtual tools can contribute to improving the social inclusion and relationships of all people involved.

Processes and structures in intergenerational programs: a comparison across different types of programs

OBJECTIVES

Given the widely acknowledged benefits of intergenerational programs (IGPs), we compared processes and structures across different IGP types and explored potential areas for improvement.

DESIGN

Thirteen IGPs were classified into three types: arts, learning, and assistance programs. Data were collected through direct structured interviews and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.

SETTING

Participants were recruited from community-based IGPs in the greater Tel Aviv area of Israel.

PARTICIPANTS

Eighty-four older participants (OPs), 97 younger participants (YPs), and 21 organizers were interviewed.

MEASUREMENTS

Questions included participant demographics as well as closed- and open-ended questions regarding processes based on the Impact of Intergenerational Programs Questionnaire (IIPQ).

ANALYSIS

Responses to closed-ended questions were compared among IGP types and age groups using two-way ANOVAs for ordinal data, and chi-squares for nominal data. Responses to open-ended questions by OP, YP, and program organizers about potential areas for improvement were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Processes in need of improvement were preparation and guidance, length of program participation, and monitoring of activities, which differed across IGP types and age groups. These processes were related to broader structural problems such as lack of resources, organizers' poor employment conditions, and inadequate public services for older persons in Israel.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights the complex relationships between IGP types, processes, and structures. IGP processes and goals can be hindered by structural variables such as insufficient funding, infrastructure, and public services for older adults.

Acceptance and perception of digital health for managing nutrition in people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers and their digital competence in the United States: A mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

This mixed-methods study examined participants' acceptance and perception of using digital health for managing nutrition and participants' digital competence. The results will be formative for making digital nutrition education more effective and acceptable for people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and their informal caregivers.

METHODS

Qualitative data were collected through in-person semi-structured, dyadic interviews, and questionnaires from 20 dyads (20 PwPD and their caregivers) in the Northeastern United States and analyzed throughout the 2018 to 2019 academic year. Interview transcripts were deductively coded using the framework analysis method. Phrases related to acceptance of digital health were sub-coded into accept, neutral, or reject and those related to perceptions of digital health were sub-coded into perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and awareness of digital health. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent samples t tests and Fisher's exact tests. Qualitative codes were transformed into variables and compared to digital competence scores to integrate the data. An average acceptance rate for digital health was calculated through examining the mean percent of phrases coded as accept from interview transcripts.

RESULTS

Twenty-five of 40 (62.5%) participants used the internet for at least 5 health-related purposes and the average acceptance rate was 54.4%. Dyads rejected digital health devices if they did not see the added benefit. The majority of participants reported digital health to be useful, but hard to use, and about half felt they needed education about existing digital health platforms. There was no difference in digital competence scores between PwPD and their caregivers (28.6 ± 12.6).

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that dyads accept and use technology but not to its full potential as technology can be perceived as hard to use. This finding, combined with digital competence scores, revealed that education is warranted prior to providing a digital nutrition intervention.

Program Practices Predict Intergenerational Interaction among Children and Adults

Background and Objectives

Intergenerational programs, those engaging youth and adults of nonadjacent generations in shared programming for mutual benefit, are attracting increasing attention from funders, policymakers, and practitioners for the range of goals they can support. The mechanisms by which these goals are achieved are rarely studied. To address this gap, we analyzed the associations between specific intergenerational implementation practices and younger and older participant outcomes.

Research Design and Methods

Activity leaders at 5 sites serving adults and preschoolers received training to implement 14 evidence-based practices during intergenerational activities involving 84 adults (M = 75.25 years; range = 55–98) and 105 preschool participants (M = 3.26 years; range = 2–5) over 4 years. Measures of activity leaders’ implementation of these practices and participants’ behavioral responses to programming were gathered. We utilized multilevel modeling to test whether variations in implementation of practices were associated with variations in participants’ responses to programming on a session-by-session basis.

Results

For both preschool and adult participants, analyses revealed that the implementation of certain practices was associated with significantly more intergenerational interaction. When more practices were implemented reflecting factors of (a) participant pairing and (b) person-centered care, both child and adult intergenerational interactions were higher.

Discussion and Implications

Practices used by intergenerational activity leaders during programming help to explain within-person responses of both child and adult participants. Intergenerational relationships may be a powerful means to achieve diverse goals; they depend on skillful practice by trained activity leaders.

Engagement, inclusion, knowledge sharing, and talent development: is reverse mentoring a panacea to all? Findings from literature review

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to systematically review the practice of reverse mentoring and draw a timeline of the research over the past two decades. Considering the novelty of this intervention, this paper proposed an agenda for future research on this burgeoning topic.

Design/methodology/approach

By adopting narrative literature review and Gregory and Denniss’ (2018) four-step process, this paper reviewed 54 studies grounded in conceptual, literature review and empirical research published between 1998 and 2020.

Findings

The articles included in the literature review on reverse mentoring research were summarized according to journal publications, research methodologies, contextual settings, theoretical framework, purpose and outcomes. Reverse mentoring studies are dominantly published in educational journals using primarily qualitative and conceptual approaches to explore both academic and business contexts within the USA and Europe. Theories frequently used to frame and examine the need of reverse mentoring included social exchange theory and leader-member exchange theory. The fundamental purpose of reverse mentoring research is to transfer knowledge and to bridge the technology divide between intergenerational groups. Reverse mentoring has been used to promote inclusivity between multiple generations in relation to gender, ethnicity and culture.

Originality/value

As per the knowledge, this is the first-ever comprehensive English summary of reverse mentoring research done in the past two decades. Findings from this research can be used to better understand reverse mentoring research trends and directions.

Knowledge sharing in times of a pandemic: An intergenerational learning approach

Knowledge sharing is a key challenge for modern organizations, especially in periods of uncertainty such as that of the current pandemic. This conceptual paper argues that intergenerational learning (IGL) is a useful intervention to address the challenge of knowledge sharing in the New Ways of Working. We conducted an integrated literature review based on the PRISMA methodology. Our findings reveal the limited adoption of reverse mentoring in practice, indicating the need to have a more curated intervention to promote knowledge sharing in modern organizations. We advance the discourse about reverse mentoring with the aim of overcoming its challenges and presenting a self‐driven approach to sharing the tacit knowledge inherent in an organization. The study contributes by presenting a conceptual model of IGL that promotes knowledge sharing during the COVID‐19 pandemic through the leveraging of the multi‐generational workforce's diversity. Further, the study has implications for practice that can aid effective knowledge management in the current times.

Improving Expectations Regarding Aging in Younger Adults: A Classroom Study

Younger adults generally hold negative attitudes and stereotypes about aging, which can affect the success with which they age as well as how they interact with older generations in everyday settings. The current study sought to improve expectations about aging in a largely first-year undergraduate student population through a small, discussion-based course on successful aging. Students in the successful aging course and a control course completed the 12-item expectations regarding aging (ERA) scale at the beginning and the end of the 10-week academic quarter. Students in the aging class also provided adjectives that came to mind when thinking about older adults. Students in the successful aging course had higher ERA scores at the end of the quarter than at the beginning of the quarter, but scores in the control class did not change. Further analyses indicated students' expectations about cognitive functioning and physical health improved, but not expectations about mental health. In addition, self-generated adjectives were more positive at the end than the beginning of the quarter, but some negative adjectives persisted. Thus, a smaller, discussion-based class about aging led to a more positive view of aging, suggesting that negative attitudes about aging may be modifiable by a short intervention in early adulthood. These results can have implications for how younger adults interact with older adults and how they may prepare for, hold future expectations about, and ultimately experience older age.

Reducing Ageism: Changes in Students’ Attitudes after Participation in an Intergenerational Reverse Mentoring Program

Ageism is a societal concern that greatly affects the social, emotional, physical, and mental health of older adults. One way to decrease ageist attitudes and improve the treatment of older adults is to address and improve age stereotypes among young adults. Using data from students participating in an intergenerational digital-learning program, the present study investigated change in students’ stereotypes of older adults and aging. We examined change from pre- and post-scores in student attitudes toward older adults and the type of adjectives used to describe older adults. We also analyzed responses to open-ended questions about changes in perception of older adults and aging and interest in working with older adults. Findings showed that: (1) Students’ attitudes improved following participation in the program; (2) students used fewer negative words to describe older adults following participation; (3) answers to open-ended questions demonstrated that many students improved their perceptions of older adults; and (4) many students showed increased interest in working with older adults in their future careers. Programs that reduce age stereotypes should be promoted in order to reduce young people’s harmful ageist stereotypes, ensure respectful treatment of older adults in all workplace and social situations, and increase interest in aging-related fields.

The impact of international videoconferencing among older adults and secondary students

This study explores young adults' emotional affect and attitudes towards ageing, as well as older adults' emotional affect and self-esteem following participation in the intergenerational videoconferencing programme Smile Connect (SC). The sample consisted of 94 participants (46 older Spanish adults living in a care home in Spain and 48 young Italian adults -secondary students- learning Spanish at school in Italy). Each age group was divided into an intervention and control group. SC consists of twelve 30-minute chat sessions conducted via Skype between the target groups over six weeks. Pre and post evaluations were made to assess the affect level in both groups, self-esteem among older people, and the level of negative stereotypes about ageing among young adults. At the end of the SC, the intervention group of older adults recorded significantly improved scores in self-esteem compared to the control group. Young adults recorded a reduction in their negative stereotypes about old age after taking part in the SC programme compared to those who did not. These findings suggest that involvement in the SC programme helps to improve the emotional affect of older adults living in care homes, as well as change the negative stereotypes about ageing among young adults.

"Doing" Intergenerational Friendship: Challenging the Dominance of Age Homophily in Friendship

This article challenges the dominance of age homophily in the literature on friendship. Using findings from a recent study on intergenerational friendship, we put forward a new conceptualization of a homophily of doing-and-being in friendships between adults who are of different generations. This research took a qualitative approach using constructivist grounded theory methodology. Homophily of doing-and-being has three components: being "friends in action" (pursuing interests and leisure activities, or simply spending time together), being "not only old" (sharing identities beyond age), and sharing attitudes and approaches to friendship and life. Additionally, "differences" were an important element of interest between the intergenerational friends. Our discovery of the centrality of doing-and-being, and the relative insignificance of age homophily, constitute a novel way of looking at friendship, and a new way of conceptualizing how and why (older) adults make and maintain friendships.

Becoming and being an Age-Friendly University (AFU): Strategic considerations and practical implications

Becoming and being an Age-Friendly University (AFU) require developing a strategic plan for enlisting support across campus for the AFU principles and embarking on an ongoing process for continuing to promote them as an academic community. Throughout this process, the use of a conceptual framework for change in academic settings can be helpful. The University of Rhode Island (URI) recently became an AFU after a campus-wide process of identifying activities that already supported AFU principles and enlisting key sources of support for embracing them. In particular, an emerging emphasis within URI on developing lifelong-learning and intergenerational programs provided a firm foundation upon which to build the case. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for developing a strategy for change in an academic setting, and then illustrates how URI has utilized it to move forward with becoming more "aging friendly." Implications for continuing development consistent with the AFU principles will be discussed.

Intergenerational Programs Involving Adolescents, Institutionalized Elderly, and Older Volunteers: Results from a Pilot Research-Action in Italy

Changes in traditional family structures, public policy arrangements, and new family care patterns are reducing opportunities for interaction between younger and older people in Europe and in Italy, especially when the latter live in residential care facilities. This may bolster age-related stereotypes in both generations and end up with affecting older people's self-confidence, devaluing their emotional and relational capabilities. "Let's Re-Generate" is a pilot research-action project-based on an intergenerational program carried out in a nursing home in Central Italy-which aimed at prompting institutionalized older people and adolescents in the community to enhance intergenerational ties through various shared activities. Results from focus groups with 25 teenagers and in-depth interviews with 16 older residents and 16 older volunteers provide an in-depth insight on the positive impact of intergenerational programs, which foster the interaction between different ages, help overcome age-related stereotypes, and improve older people's mental well-being and older volunteers' generativity. The main recommendation emerging from this study is that intergenerational activities should be integrated in the daily routine of nursing homes, acting as useful tools for fostering older residents' capability of reacting to dependency and social isolation.