Instapals: Reducing ageism by facilitating intergenerational contact and providing aging education.

Instapals: Reducing ageism by facilitating intergenerational contact and providing aging education. Gerontol Geriatr Educ. 2020 Mar 04;:1-12 Authors: Lytle A, Nowacek N, Levy SR Abstract Utilizing the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model as a theoretical foundation, Instapals was a novel ageism reduction intervention with undergraduate students in a non-gerontology course that 1) provided aging education and 2) facilitated positive 1-to-1 intergenerational relationships with older adults (individuals 65+) through daily exchanges on Instagram for 30 days and two in-person meetings. Paired t-tests demonstrate a significant decrease in aging anxiety, psychological concerns about aging, and negative stereotyping of older adults. Results from coded open-ended responses suggest an overall positive experience with Instapals and more positive attitudes toward aging and older adults across a semester. Findings from the first test of Instapals, a theoretically-driven intervention, shows promise for reducing ageism among larger samples and in other settings. PMID: 32129732 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Gerontology and Geriatrics Education - Category: Geriatrics Tags: Gerontol Geriatr Educ Source Type: research