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by Amelia Trippas
Many of us remember the ABC TV show Old People’ s Home for 4 Year Olds, a heartwarming experiment that showed just how powerful intergenerational connection can be. What looked like simple fun between preschoolers and older adults( aged 65 +) may actually hold the key to something much bigger- helping prevent dementia.
Dementia isn’ t a normal part of ageing, but the risk increases as we get older. Scientists now know there isn’ t one single cause. Instead, dementia is linked to a mix of things like inactivity, loneliness, memory challenges, poor balance and lack of social connection. The good news? Many of these risk factors can be reduced, especially when they’ re tackled together.
That’ s where intergenerational programs show real promise.
These programs bring older adults and young children together in a fun, structured setting – playing games, doing crafts, sharing music, building and construction. What seems like playtime is actually packed with opportunities to boost memory, movement, mood and connection, all protective factors against dementia.
Older adults who participate often
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report feeling more alert, more joyful, more connected and more physically able. They move more, laugh more, and engage in meaningful conversations that stimulate thinking and memory. While we can’ t yet say for certain that these programs prevent dementia, they show great potential to help reduce the risk, and that’ s worth paying attention to.
Social isolation is one of the biggest and most overlooked risks for dementia. In Australia, many older people live alone or have limited contact with others. Intergenerational programs offer a simple but powerful way to break that isolation and help people stay mentally and socially active.
For young children, the benefits are just as real. Time spent with older adults can build empathy, patience, and language skills. And for older participants, there’ s a renewed sense of purpose, something that can be incredibly powerful for brain health.
Although intergenerational activities have been happening in small pockets for years, there’ s still a need for larger, longterm studies to truly understand their impact on brain health and dementia risk.
That’ s what our current research aims to explore.
We are exploring how something as joyful as spending time with children, once
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a week, for two hours, might help older adults stay sharper, stronger, and more socially connected for longer.
And honestly, if dancing, crafting, singing and sharing stories with a group of preschoolers might help prevent dementia, why wouldn’ t you give it a go?
The team at The George Institute for Global Health, led by Dr Ruth Peters who is one of Australia’ s leading researchers
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in understanding and treating dementia and frailty, hope to be the first clinical trial to find proof in the benefits to intergenerational practice.
Looking to join an intergenerational program? Visit https:// www. georgeinstitute. org. au / projects / intergenerational-intervention-to-reducefrailty-trial-integrity or call 02 8052 4365 to see if you are eligible.
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