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Abstract
It is essential to find ways to engage adults living with dementia in meaningful and social activities, as well as elicit positive emotions and behaviors during the selected activities. Intergenerational programs (IGPs) involving young children have been shown to benefit the physical, emotional, and social health of older adults, including those living with dementia, and are often positively received by this population. This study examined how involvement in an IGP was associated with the way that individuals living with dementia engaged and the behaviors that they exhibited during the activities. Fourteen older adults living in a shared-site long-term care facility participated in an onsite IGP. Their interactions were recorded over a five-day period immediately prior to the children's arrival and throughout the duration of the program; adults' engagement and behaviors were coded using the Menorah Park Engagement Scale (MPES). Findings indicated that there were significant changes in engagement type and the behaviors exhibited by these adults during the IGPs. Constructive engage ment significantly increased while non-engagement and other engagement were significantly reduced when the children were present. Greater displays of pleasure and helping behaviors were also exhibited during the IGPs. These findings have implications for recreational therapy practice in long-term care settings and support the use of IGPs with adults living with dementia as a nonpharmacological intervention to improve social engagement in this population.
Keywords
Alzheimer's disease, intergenerational programs, leisure, recreational therapy, therapeutic recreation
Introduction
Today there are more than 55 million individuals living with dementia globally, and approximately 10 million new cases arise each year (Alzheimer's Disease International, n.d.). Dementia is an umbrella term for brain syndromes that impact an individual's memory, thought process, behavior, and emotion (Alzheimer's Disease International, n.d.). As the disease progresses, individuals with dementia begin to lose the ability to communicate. Areas of reading, writing, repetition, and understanding and verbal expression are particularly lower for individuals living with dementia (Banovic et al., 2018). The symptoms of dementia progressively inhibit the social skills of these individuals, potentially increasing their risk of social isolation (Kang, 2012).
Clinical Needs of Adults with Dementia
Isolation and loneliness have been identified among individuals living with dementia as a precursor to the disease as well as an outcome. These two factors have been identified...