Anna Krzeczkowska, PhD Student & Louise Nicholls, Lecturer, University of Strathclyde co-facilitated a workshop at GWT's National Conference held on Wed 6th March 2019 in Glasgow.

1. 1
University of Strathclyde:
Our Research into Ageing and
Intergenerational Engagement
Dr Louise Nicholls
School of Psychological Sciences & Health
Generations Working Together Annual Conference, March 2019
@LNichollsStrath
@StrathAgeing
• We're in the UK’s top 20 universities for research intensity
• Strathclyde is an Age Friendly University in a WHO Age Friendly
City!
• One of our strategic themes is "Lifelong health & wellbeing"
University of Strathclyde
• What do we mean by ‘intergenerational’?
• Can involve a variety of age groups, contexts, activities (most
people think about children visiting nursing homes!)
• Will vary according to the aims of the project.
Intergenerational Work Intergenerational Work
• Strathclyde’s Intergenerational Mentoring Network (based in
School of Education):
- Mentoring of young people (primarily older children) to challenge
inequalities in education and employment
- weekly or fortnightly meetings to support participation and
retention in higher education (Wilson et al., 2014)
- Also now working in two Glasgow primary schools to help young
children’s literacy

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• Strathclyde’s Centre for Lifelong Learning (follow
@StrathclydeAFA)
- Recently conducted an 8-wk intergenerational project in schools
- “Sharing Childhood 2” (SACHI2)
- Based on foreign language learning
- Appeared to enhance attitudes to older adults, and increase
children’s skills
- Working with European partners to produce ‘best practice’
guide
Intergenerational Work
• Engagement/’use it or lose it’ hypothesis (e.g. Schooler, 2007)
• Correlational evidence of engagement effects is limited (are the
‘busy’ people just better able to engage in the first place?)
• Experimental evidence shows potential benefits of increased
social and intellectual engagement (Stine-Morrow et al., 2008)
• Helping to inspire new research investigating the range of
potential benefits of intergenerational engagement
• One recent theory highlights that the older brain can benefit from
interventions that bring social and cognitive engagement (Reuter-
Lorenz & Park, 2014)
Theoretical Background
Example Evidence
• A primary school-based intergenerational project showed
benefits in older adult participants’ attention skills, particularly
for those who had shown initial declines (Carlson et al., 2008)
• There were also increases in brain volume after 2 years (Carlson
et al., 2015)
• Older adults’ reported social and physical activity found to
increase (Parisi et al., 2014)
• Observed benefits also extend to the children and schools (e.g.
Fried et al., 2013)
• Our own pilot study is first aimed at establishing and testing a
protocol for implementing primary school-based
intergenerational engagement
• We will then seek to adjust the protocol if required, and then
deliver a larger-scale programme that can fully test the range
of outcomes
Scientific research takes time…

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Thank you! 
l.nicholls@strath.ac.uk
@LNichollsStrath @StrathAgeing
Louise A. Brown Nicholls
A school-based intergenerational engagement
programme in West Lothian
Anna Krzeczkowska
PhD student at the School of Psychological Sciences
and Health
University of Strathclyde
• To enhance brain functioning and thinking skills
• To enhance health and wellbeing;
• To increase social networks and support;
Aims of intergenerational work
• Significant improvements found in:
 cross-age attitudes (Darrow et al., 1994);
 health and wellbeing (de Souza et al., 2007);
 thinking skills (e.g., working memory, executive function; Carlson et al.,
2008);
 physical activity (Tan et al., 2006)
• Significant decreases found in:
 Levels of loneliness (Gaggioli et al., 2014)
 Depression (Hernandez et al., 2008)
• Limited evidence of the impact of IG programmes on cognition;
• Only few studies met the criteria for high quality research;
• More homogenous evidence is needed.
Systematic review of IG programmes

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• Gold standard of intergenerational work;
• Intensive 15 hours/ week engagement;
• Improvements in:
– cognitive, physical and social function (Fried et al., 2004; Tan et al.,
2006);
– reading abilities amongst pupils and school climate (Rebok et al., 2004).
• But: 15 hours very intensive, and participants receive a
stipend
Experience Corps®
Our aims are to:
1) Assess the programme and research protocol
2) Gain pilot data of health, social and cognitive outcomes
of lower-dose engagement
3) Adjust the programme if necessary, then carry out large-
scale, full trial
Pilot trial measuring…
• Social outcomes (attitudes,
generativity)
• Cognitive outcomes (memory,
concentration, attention, processing
speed)
• Health outcomes (physical activity,
sleep quality, depression, loneliness)
• Subjective experiences of
intergenerational engagement
• School climate and classroom
behaviour
Outcomes
Methodology
• A pilot randomised, controlled
trial
• + Qualitative research (diaries
research and focus group)
• 6 month programme, 8 hrs/wk
• baseline, then follow-up months 3
& 6
Design
• 60-85 years
• Screened for health & PVG
clearance
• 50 volunteers (target)
• 2 groups: intervention & control
Participants

5. 5
Intergenerational programme in
West Lothian in Practice
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-
46664990/old-and-young-come-together-to-learn
Where we are now…
• Systematic review being finalised (watch this space!)
• Pilot trial ongoing
• Continuing to recruit healthy older adult volunteers (60-85
years) in or around West Lothian (final cohort 2019-2020)
• Qualitative research during next 6 months
Email: anna.krzeczkowska@strath.ac.uk
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anna_Krzeczkowska
Thank you