Intergenerational Volunteering and Quality of Life for Persons With Mild to Moderate Dementia: Results From a 5-Month Intervention Study in the United States
Abstract
Objectives To evaluate whether a structured intergenerational volunteering intervention would enhance quality of life (QOL) for persons with mild to moderate dementia.Methods Fifteen participants were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group participated in hour-long structured volunteer sessions with a kindergarten class and an older elementary class in alternating weeks during a 5-month interval. Data on cognitive functioning, stress, depression, sense of purpose, and sense of usefulness were collected at baseline and at the close of the intervention. Change scores were computed and analyzed for all variables.Results There was a significant decrease in stress for the intervention group.Conclusions This study adds preliminary findings that intergenerational volunteering interventions might contribute to QOL for persons with dementia, in part through a reduction in stress.
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The review identified five independent RCTs.
“As three RCT papers reported different outcomes collected at the same follow-up from the Experience Corps trial [30,35,58]; a total of five independent RCTs [33,37,54,62] were identified.”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [37]
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- Authors
- George, D. R., & Singer, M. E.
- Affiliations
- Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (US)
- Case Western Reserve University (US)
- Corresponding author
- George, Daniel R
- Venue
- The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-04
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 392-396
- ISSN
- 1064-7481 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2121993721
- Cited by
- 71
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 3.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
- Keywords
- intergenerational volunteering, dementia, quality of life, stress reduction, depression, sense of purpose, sense of usefulness, cognitive function, intervention research
- MeSH terms
- Aged, 80 and over, Cognition, Dementia, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Psychotherapy, Quality of Life, Self-Assessment, Stress, Psychological, United States, Volunteers, Intergenerational Relations
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