Creative approach for successful aging: A pilot study of an intergenerational health promotion program

Abstract

Aim: To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an intergenerational health promotion program. Methods: This was an action research project. A total of 34 participants attended the 12-week program and completed the pre-test and post-test. There were 16 middle-aged and nine older adults recruited from a district of Taipei, and nine young adults recruited from the principal investigator's university. The “Attitudes toward Aging Scale” and the “Spiritual Health Scale” were two assessment instruments used in the study. Results: The results showed that there were significant improvements in the Attitudes toward Aging Scale for the young adult group (aged 18–29 years) and in the Spiritual Health Scale for the older adult group (aged 65–80 years). The evaluation showed that participants were satisfied with the program. Conclusions: The results of the present study provide future directions for successful aging and intergenerational learning. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1799–1807. ? 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society