Effectiveness of intergenerational participation on residents with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Li-Chin Lu, Shao-Huan Lan, Yen-Ping Hsieh and 1 others
PMID 34021969WHAT IT FOUND
Intergenerational activities for residents with dementia did not improve quality of life or depression.
They increased pleasure and reduced disengagement in the reviewed studies. Use them as a care activity, not as a treatment for mood or overall wellbeing.
Key findings
01Quality of life did not improve.
02Pleasure increased and disengagement decreased.
03Depression, active engagement, self-engagement, and passive engagement did not show significant differences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only a small number of studies were pooled, so the estimates are imprecise. Intergenerational programs varied in content, so the contribution of any single activity component cannot be separated. Included studies did not consistently classify dementia by type or severity. Different studies used different engagement measures. The measures were not comparable. Medication, cognitive function, and medical care were rarely reported, so effects on disease status cannot be checked.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that intergenerational programs improve quality of life or depression in dementia. The pooled results for those outcomes were not significant, and the positive findings were limited to pleasure and reduced disengagement.