Intergenerational programs aim to foster a more comprehensive and flexible understanding of aging, enabling relationships based on mutual care, and challenging ageism. The use of audiovisual practices has demonstrated effectiveness in interventions involving older adults and adolescents. This study explored how the perspectives about older adults changed in older adults and adolescents, following their participation in an intergenerational program, in which intergenerational teams co-produced fictional and documentary audiovisuals.
The methodology was inspired by the "Fifth Dimension" and implemented through participatory research-action. Participants comprised 17 adolescents (aged 11-17, 10 women) and 18 older adults (aged 65-87, 14 women), who formed six intergenerational teams, and produced six audiovisuals. At the beginning and end of this project all participants were individually interviewed about their perspective about older adults. Data were submitted to content analysis. At the beginning, older adults were viewed by: (i) adolescents as persons with "bad mood", who "slept a lot", "smell bad", "closed to new ideas", and "wise"; (ii) older adults as "fearful", "lonely", with "bad memory", who "have life experience" and are "loving". At the end: (i) adolescents describe older adults as "tender", "wise", "who give advice", and "are fun" (ii) older adults describe older adults as people who "have new experiences", "learn", "laugh and enjoy themselves". A shift on the views about older adults was observed in both groups. This project supports audiovisual tools as means to promote collaborative intergenerational teamwork.

Authors:
Rocío del Carmen Mercado-Salas, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico
Miguel Ángel Sahagún Padilla, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico
José Carlos Palacios Montoya, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico
Liliana Sousa, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal

About the Presenter(s)
Rocío Mercado-Salas is a filmmaker and researcher from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychological Research, where she focuses on intergenerational connections through audiovisual practices.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rocio-Mercado-5?ev=hdr_xprf

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