ARU Research Report 2019

The Up Project 33 This research offers some learning which can be carried over into further research and inform how other intergenerational programmes could be implemented. Implications & Recommendations for Research Older Adults Experiences As the interactions allowed the staff and children to recognise and value the older adults as unique and talented individuals, it would be interesting to explore if this was also felt by the older adults themselves. Self-affirming activities i.e. those which allow individuals to recall or recognise their unique strengths and value, can have positive implications for mental wellbeing (Cohen and Sherman, 2014). Therefore, investigating if older adults saw purposeful intergenerational activities as acts which reaffirmed their own unique skills and value, and if so if this had an effect on their own perceptions of self- esteem and self-worth, would be an avenue worthy of further study. Workforce Experiences With the findings suggesting that IGPs may create positive emotions and work attitudes amongst care home staff, there remains an opportunity to investigate the workforce implications of IGP participation at greater depth. This is particularly important considering the evidence which has found significant associations between carer job satisfaction and turnover (Rosen et al., 2011), in a climate which see the UK social care sector experiencing high turnover amongst its workforce (Skills for Care, 2018). Pre-Post Studies Despite this study’s contribution to the limited IGP evidence base on UK care home situated IGPs between older adults with dementia and primary school aged children, there is still scope for extending and strengthening the evidence regarding IGP interventions. For example, whilst the evidence in support of ‘soft’ outcomes such as enjoyment is plentiful, there are limited studies which empirically examine health outcomes or any long term effects of these interventions (Jarrott, 2011). Moreover, studies which contain large sample sizes of participants, for a longer period of time are also lacking, as are those which apply economic modelling in their methods (Park, 2015). Therefore, large, high quality studies which examine pre and post intervention outcomes particularly those which address physical health, mental health, or character skills/traits amongst older adults and children are required, as are longitudinal studies which attempt to establish if effects are maintained over time. In doing so, more informed cost-benefit analyses of the IGPs can emerge, which can in turn inform policymakers of the worth that these IGPs may hold (Park, 2015). Implications & Recommendations