Intergenerational Care - Impressions

EikeenO503397 · ‎03-05-2019

Hello,

I am very curious about a new facility in my hometown. This facility offers a service of Intergenerational Care. This particular facility offers a daily care service for elderly that is combined with a child daycare. This is a new concept to me, and I am looking for opinions on if I should pursue and explore this opportunity. For those of you that have questions to what it is, here is my understanding of the service. It is a blending of care for both youth and seniors. Interaction between the ages is a staple for this type of care. I hear from people using the service that it is nice to be able to interact with young folks. Have any of you had experiences with this type of care? How was your experience? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for your comments.

agoyer · ‎03-15-2019

@EikeenO503397 Intergenerational connections are mutually beneficial and can be fantastic for so many people! I actually did some of the first research on these co-located programs for different generations, and in the report I wrote at the time (back in about 1995!) I called them "Intergenerational Shared Site Programs" - because they are co-located. The term is still used today. There are many different models of shared sites - the model that you've shared is the most common - adult day services co-located with child day care and/or preschool.

There are so many benefits in bringing the generations together - it feels more normal (age-segregation really isn't natural). Sites do vary, and some do more intergenerational programming than others. Some participants simply enjoy seeing, hearing and being around the children and others do well with direct interaction - either 1:1 or in a group. Older adults and children should have the option to not participate with the other generations as well - although I hear stories over and over again about those who are hesitant in the beginning becoming enthusiastic about it over time! Generations United is an organization that has done a lot of work around shared sites - and this report, "Intergenerational Shared Sites: Making the Case", lays out many of the benefits.

It's so serendipitous that you ask this question because I am currently in the process of researching and writing a report on intergenerational shared site programs that will help people who want to create them overcome the challenges/barriers. I visited three programs last week and each was slightly different (one was a public school preK and Kindergarten located in a nursing facility, another adult day services and child care and another was child care located on a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) with many levels of care for older adtults.)

So - I'm a huge fan of intergenerational shared sites!

That said, there are always things you should look for when evaluating any care situation for your loved ones.

What is the staff ratio?
What are the planned activities and when do they take place? Are they scheduled for appropriate times for both generations (keeping in mind energy levels etc.)
Is there opportunity for unplanned, spontaneous and informal interaction among the generations?
What is the quality of the care on both sides
It's always a good idea to visit at different times of day to get a feel for the flow
Talk with participants and their families if possible
Ask what precautions do they take to ensure illness isn't spread (a common concern for people but sites don't report any increases in illness (and in fact some believe the joy that is experienced produces good endorphins that actually increase health!)
Check with your state's department of aging or long term care ombudsman to ensure there aren't any serious complaints about the program (you can find them using the Eldercare Locator).

We'd love to hear what you decide and if your loved one does attend the shared site program do let us know how it's going - what you like and what you don't like! And let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Take care,

Amy Goyer, AARP Family & Caregiving Expert

Author, Juggling Life, Work and Caregiving and

Color Your Way Content When Caring for Loved Ones

JaneCares · ‎03-10-2019

@EikeenO503397 wrote:
Hello,

I am very curious about a new facility in my hometown. This facility offers a service of Intergenerational Care. This particular facility offers a daily care service for elderly that is combined with a child daycare. This is a new concept to me, and I am looking for opinions on if I should pursue and explore this opportunity. For those of you that have questions to what it is, here is my understanding of the service. It is a blending of care for both youth and seniors. Interaction between the ages is a staple for this type of care. I hear from people using the service that it is nice to be able to interact with young folks. Have any of you had experiences with this type of care? How was your experience? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for your comments.

Seems like a great idea! I did some googling and found a couple of articles. This one is from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/the-preschool-inside-a-nursing-home/424827/

Here's another one from the New York Times, although it's 10 years old: https://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/day-care-for-all-ages/

I hope you hear from folks with direct experience. Good luck!

Jane