Evaluating social integration and psychological outcomes for older adults enrolled at a university intergenerational program.

Intergenerational programs are proliferating. The basic assumption of such programs is that pairing older and younger people in various activities and contexts such as educational programs will produce positive developmental benefits for all participants. Educational programs appear to help adults t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Intergenerational Relationships Vol. 3; no. 3; pp. 65 - 82
Main Authors: Montoro-Rodriguez J, Pinazo S
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd 2005
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Intergenerational programs are proliferating. The basic assumption of such programs is that pairing older and younger people in various activities and contexts such as educational programs will produce positive developmental benefits for all participants. Educational programs appear to help adults to remain socially active and connected. The University of Valencia (Spain) initiated in 1999-2000 a 'University Program for Seniors' for adults age 55 and over, entitled 'Nau Gran.' The goal of this paper is to present baseline results on the benefits and impacts for older adults enrolled at the program during 2002. Results from a sample of 212 sophomore and junior older adult participants are presented. The questionnaire included socio-demographic information and items regarding health, social integration, and psychological outcomes. Results indicated that older adults attending courses at the University increased their level of social integration.