VIDEO: Intergenerational program has benefits for patients with dementia, caregivers

An intergenerational respite, mentorship and training program benefits patients with dementia, their caregivers and students, according to a speaker at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Felicia Greenfield, MSW, LCSW, a clinical social worker at the Penn Memory Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues established the Time Together program, a low-cost program that matched college students with older adults with dementia.

“Time Together is a program with three aims,” Greenfield said in this Healio video. “The first aim is to support and provide companionship to older adults living with dementia. The second aim is to give caregivers a break or some respite while their loved one is engaged in the program, and the third aim is to train college students in this kind of work, engagement with older adults, with the intention of reducing stigma around aging and dementia and potentially increasing interest in working in the field of aging.”

While the program was originally in-person, the pandemic required a shift to a virtual format.

Care partners reported decreased loneliness and increased socialization. Patients with dementia reported improved mood after their sessions with students. While the students did not report changes in their career plans, they reported feeling more comfortable with older adults.

“We are now back in-person and gathering more data to be able to report more quantitative findings on the results of the Time Together program,” Greenfield said.