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A School-Based Intergenerational Engagement Program to Improve Older Adults’ Cognitive, Health and Social Outcomes: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.
Krzeczkowska A, McGeown WJ, Gow AJ, Nicholls LAB ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This pilot randomised controlled trial tested a school-based program where older adults (aged 60-80) helped primary school teachers support children's reading, writing and numeracy for 8 hours per week over 6 months. The study found improvements in older adults' cognition, alertness, and sense of purpose, but it was not designed to evaluate child well-being outcomes. While children were involved as the activity context, the intervention and all measured outcomes focused on older adult health and cognitive benefits.
Key points
- Older adults showed significant improvements in working memory, episodic memory, and auditory verbal learning
- Participants reported improved daytime functioning and more positive attitudes towards children
- Benefits were observed at 3 months and maintained at 6 months
- The program required 8 hours per week of older adult involvement in schools over 6 months
- Study included 36 participants (29 female, 7 male) aged 60-80 years
Limitations
This study evaluates outcomes for older adults, not children. Although children aged 4-8 years participated in the activities, their well-being, learning gains, or development were not measured or reported.
Abstract
High quality evidence on the potential health benefits of intergenerational engagement (IE) for older adults, particularly using relatively moderate exposure, is limited. This pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the impact of a school-based IE intervention designed to engage healthy older adults in real-world activities and provide multimodal (cognitive, social, physical) engagement. Additionally, feasibility of the program was evaluated. The sample comprised 36 participants (29 females, 7 males), aged 60-80 years, who had been randomised to the intervention or a wait-list control group. Intervention participants assisted primary (elementary) school teachers in supporting children’s (4-8 yrs) reading, writing, and numeracy for 8 hours per week over six months, with data collected at baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-up sessions. The intervention was found to be generally feasible and was associated with significant improvements in: cognition (working memory, episodic memory, auditory verbal learning); daytime functioning (staying awake/alert); attitudes towards children; and sense of generative achievement (helping the younger generation). Benefits were typically observed at 3 months and maintained at 6 months. Moderate intensity participation in this school-based IE intervention therefore shows preliminary efficacy as a multimodal health promotion initiative for older adults. Minor intervention modification and full-scale assessment is now warranted.