Addressing the Aging Workforce Crisis Through Intergenerational Programming: A Retrospective Analysis of Perfect Pair.
Background: The growing older adult population in the United States creates a demand for professionals in the field of aging, though this remains a space that is overlooked by young adults beginning their career exploration. Perfect Pair is a nonprofit organization that connects older adults with co...
| Published in: | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Vol. 74; no. 5; pp. 1406 - 1413 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
May2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=194163390&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 194163390 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00028614 20Q jtl: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society issn: 00028614 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: May2026 vid: 74 iid: 5 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell artinfo: ui: 194163390 10.1111/jgs.70302 ppf: 1406 ppct: 7 formats: tig: atl: Addressing the Aging Workforce Crisis Through Intergenerational Programming: A Retrospective Analysis of Perfect Pair. aug: au: Manocha, Samiya Lerner, Emily Theresa Rueppel, Elizabeth Casey, Kamryn Karmarkar, Shriya Lerner, Edie Julia Zietlow, Kahli affil: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago Illinois,, USA University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor Michigan,, USA Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York New York,, USA Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami Florida,, USA School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit Michigan,, USA College of Health Sciences Master of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Michigan‐Flint, Flint Michigan,, USA Division of Geriatric & Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan,, USA su: United States Elder care Volunteer service Evaluation of human services programs Undergraduates Retrospective studies Motivation (Psychology) Aging Psychology of college students Labor supply Intergenerational relations Vocational guidance Data analysis Research funding Descriptive statistics Surveys Pre-tests & post-tests Thematic analysis Statistics sug: subj: Elder care Volunteer service Evaluation of human services programs Undergraduates Retrospective studies Motivation (Psychology) Aging Psychology of college students Labor supply Intergenerational relations Vocational guidance United States Continuing Care Retirement Communities Temporary Help Services Vocational Rehabilitation Services Data analysis Research funding Descriptive statistics Surveys Pre-tests & post-tests Thematic analysis Statistics keyword: intergenerational undergraduate students volunteerism workforce development intergenerational undergraduate students volunteerism workforce development ab: Background: The growing older adult population in the United States creates a demand for professionals in the field of aging, though this remains a space that is overlooked by young adults beginning their career exploration. Perfect Pair is a nonprofit organization that connects older adults with college students to foster intergenerational connections. In this retrospective study, we assessed the impact that participation in Perfect Pair's programming had on college students' interest in working in the aging field as a future career. Participants and Setting: Study participants included current and past college student participants of the Perfect Pair program across 17 college chapters. Methods: We administered a retrospective survey that assessed participants' attitudes toward a career in aging. Survey questions included pre‐post and post‐program questions assessed by a Likert scale, and data was analyzed by non‐parametric statistical analysis. Results: The survey was completed by 100 participants, a response rate of 10.1%. We found statistically significant differences between general members and students who engaged more with the program, such as "matched" members who met weekly with an older adult and executive board members who led their college chapter. Members that were more involved showed higher perceived preparedness to work with older adults in the future (p < 0.001) and engagement with issues associated with aging (p = 0.002). Overall, all members of the program reported an increase in their interest in working with older adults after participating in Perfect Pair (p < 0.001). This is corroborated by narrative responses, where students share excitement to pursue a career in aging. Conclusion: Perfect Pair encourages and prepares college students to pursue a career in aging and engages them in issues associated with aging. This has strong implications for future intergenerational programming that aims to promote workforce development in the aging space. Summary: Key points ○College students participating in Perfect Pair, a national intergenerational volunteer program connecting students with older adults, showed an increase in interest in careers in aging, with overall participants rising from 37% to 58% reporting high interest in working with older adults.○Students with greater program engagement, particularly in those matched weekly with older adults and college chapter executive board members, demonstrated significantly higher levels of career preparedness and engagement with aging issues compared to less involved participants, suggesting a dose–response relationship.○Among program alumni currently working in the workforce, 80% work with older adults in some capacity, demonstrating real‐world career impact beyond student‐stated intentions.Why does this paper matter? ○With widespread workforce shortages across aging‐related fields, Perfect Pair provides evidence that structured intergenerational programming during undergraduate education can effectively cultivate the next generation of aging professionals. This model offers a scalable solution to address the growing demand for professionals trained to care for our rapidly aging population. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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