(CANCELLED) Generations Crossing: Intergenerational Adult Day Services and Quality of Life

Background/Purpose: Adult day services (ADS) can dramatically improve the quality of life (QoL) of both the caregiver and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) participant. ADS provide cognitive and social benefits for many individuals who have early-stage AD, including the maintenance of some level of cognitive capacity, as well as enhanced QoL on behalf of the AD participant and caregiver. ADS programs provide a respite for caregivers and allow them to manage other responsibilities, such as children and careers. Although many different types of ADS have shown positive results, one unique example is intergenerational (IG) programs. IG facilities incorporate an ADS with an adjacent child daycare component and boast high rates of interaction between the children and older adult participants. The purpose of the current study is to examine caregivers’ perceptions of QoL on behalf of themselves and the AD participant both before and after enrolling in a local ADS program with an IG component.  

Method: All ADS participants’ caregivers (N = 60) were initially contacted via mailed letter. Among those who consented to participate (N = 45), a 20-30-minute phone interview was conducted with each caregiver. The manually recorded interview responses were organized based on whether the IG participant had an AD diagnosis. Finally, responses were categorized as negative or positive and coded based on common themes (e.g., sociability, mood, cognition, physical health) utilizing NVIVO qualitative data analysis software.

Analysis/Results: Overall, more negative responses were recorded from non-AD caregivers (N = 33) than from AD caregivers (N = 12). In addition, AD caregivers (N = 36) communicated more positive responses regarding the staff, facility, and IG program compared to non-AD caregivers (N = 9). Although most caregivers reported benefiting from the IG program in some manner, AD caregivers (N = 38) expressed more QoL-related benefits compared to their non-AD caregiver counterparts (N = 7).

Conclusions: The results suggest that ADS with an IG component offer positive effects on individuals with AD, as well as their caregivers. Given that IG programs are commonly associated with positive outcomes specifically for individuals with AD, more caregivers should be informed of the benefits that IG-based ADS programs provide. Hence, the potential cognitive and social benefits associated with ADS programs, particularly those with an IG component, will help to simultaneously improve the quality of life of both the caregiver and AD participant.