An Observational Study of Intergenerational Activities and Behavior Change in Dementing Elders at Adult Day Care Centers

Abstract

This study investigated whether dementing adult day care clients demonstrate consistent positive behaviors (i.e., eye contact, smiling, attentiveness, etc.) during structured, weekly activities with young children that these adults do not demonstrate during similar activities when the young children are not present. The study built on a preliminary informal study conducted in conjunction with an intergenerational adult day care project. Participants for the study were twenty-one adult day care clients who have behavioral characteristics of Alzheimer's or related disorders. The study involved five consective weeks of planned, structured music activities prepared by a musical therapist as part of the regular intergenerational activities of the adult day care center. The same activities were repeated twice in the same day at each site, once with children present and once without them present. Two fixed videotape cameras recorded client behaviors in three-minute segments. Scoring was completed by trained, “blind” scorers. The scorers tallied positive behaviors by individuals for randomly selected ten-second segments of the taped intervals. Sessions with and without children were compared using non-parametric tests. Categories of behaviors were compared and specific observed behavioral changes were reported.