Intergenerational Experiences for Occupational Therapy Students

Abstract

As the percentage of elders to the overall U.S. population continues to grow, there will be an increased need for occupational therapy services. Some, but not all, occupational therapy professional curricula currently emphasize coursework in gerontology. This paper presents a means of supplementing academic coursework with intergenerational experiences. These experiences involve contact with both the well and frail elderly using graduated levels of activity. The purposes of intergenerational experiences are: (1) to provide students with positive contact with an aged person who they are, for the most part, segregated from, yet with whom they are expected to function effectively as future clinicians; (2) to help eliminate stereotypes and to enable them to perceive the elder poulation as a heterogeneous group; and (3) to instill clinical skills of critical thinking as applied to treatment planning.