Planning an Intergenerational Shared Site: Nursing-Home Staff Perspectives

ABSTRACT

Nursing-home staff perspectives on the development of intergenerational shared sites involving nursing homes and child-care centers is lacking. We use a strengths-based and community capacity framework to learn of the perceived benefits and burdens for nursing-home staff within a nursing home planning to implement a shared-site intergenerational program. Forty-two nursing-home staff completed a survey. Almost three-quarters of the participants either indicated strong positive support or saw more pros than cons in opening the child-care center. Over 25% of participants indicated that it was very possible they would use this service if it were available. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated existing strengths and areas to build capacity around four themes: nursing-home residents; nursing-home staff; children attending the child-care center; and the buildings and grounds. Our research emphasizes the importance of ensuring that other stakeholders, such as nursing-home staff, are also fully informed, consulted, and engaged in the process of developing a new colocated intergenerational program to contribute to the success of these programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Child care
• community capacity
• intergenerational
• nursing home
• strengths

Acknowledgments

We thank Sanja Jovanovic for her assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.