Intergenerational programs
REEaCh staff have been engaged in an Intergenerational Program (IGP) that provides opportunities for young children and residents in aged care to learn, play, share knowledge and build relationships beyond existing familial and friendship groups.
Intergenerational Programs: Learning and Well-being for Children, Residents in Aged Care and Staff
REEaCh staff have been engaged in an Intergenerational Program (IGP) that provides opportunities for young children and residents in aged care to learn, play, share knowledge and build relationships beyond existing familial and friendship groups. The research is being conducted in a co-located aged care facility and early childhood service where daily opportunities for the generations to engage in shared activities take place. Using a mixed methods approach, the project seeks to understand the types of activities and interactions that afford young children and residents’ engagement and wellbeing in the program. Preliminary findings suggest the type of activities, and how they are facilitated, matter to build relationships and create opportunities for shared meaning making. Further Faculty of Education funding was granted to progress the pilot research work in 2025.
The project team was awarded ARC Linkage funding in 2026. Led by the REEaCh Centre with Torrens University's Centre for Healthy Sustainable Development, and in partnership with aged-care and early learning partners in Victoria and South Australia, this three-year project aims to design and evaluate an innovative model of co-located intergenerational care, providing a blue-print that will support the scale-up of sustainable, co-located intergenerational programs that foster cohesive care and thriving communities.
Professor Tricia Eadie
Dr Sarah Young
Lisa Murray
This project received funding from the Faculty of Education in 2024 and 2025. The project was awarded ARC Linkage funding in 2026.