Bridging the Intergenerational Gap: The Outcomes of a Student-Initiated, Longitudinal, Inter-professional, Inter-generational Home Visit Program
Abstract Background The older persons consume disproportionately more healthcare resources than younger persons. Tri-Generational HomeCare (TriGen), a service-learning program, aimed to reduce hospital admission rates amongst older patients with frequent admissions. The authors evaluated the educational and patient outcomes of TriGen. Methods Teams consisting of healthcare undergraduates and lay volunteers – secondary school (SS) students - performed fortnightly home visits to patients over 6 months. Self-administered scales were used to evaluate the educational outcomes. Patients’ satisfaction and clinical outcomes were also assessed. Results 226 healthcare undergraduates and 359 SS students participated in the program from 2015 to 2018. Response rates were 80.1% and 62.4% respectively. 106 patients participated in TriGen. There was a statistically significant increase in Kogan’s Attitudes towards Old Persons scores pre- and post-intervention for healthcare undergraduates and SS students with a mean increase of 12.8 (95%CI: 9.5 – 16.2, p < 0.001) and 8.3 (95%CI: 6.2 – 10.3, p < 0.001) respectively. There was a statistically significant increase in Palmore FAQ score pre- and post-intervention for SS students. Most volunteers reported that TriGen was beneficial across all nine domains assessed. There was a statistically significant decrease in hospital admission rates (p = 0.006) and emergency department visits (p = 0.004) during the 6-month period before and after the program. 51 patients answered the patient feedback survey. Of this, more than 80% reported feeling less lonely and happier. Conclusion TriGen, a student-initiated, longitudinal, inter-generational service-learning program consisting of lay students and healthcare undergraduates can reduce ageism, develop soft skills, inculcate values amongst lay volunteers (SS students) and healthcare undergraduates. In addition, TriGen potentially reduces hospital admissions and emergency department visits, and loneliness amongst frequently admitted older patients.