Changing Children's Perceptions of the Elderly:

Age-integrated programming has become an effective way to bring the young and old closer together. This article reviews some of the relevant literature and then describes a study involving the Intergenerational Partners Project, a program which stressed the use of age-integrated friendship. The project involved a number of activities shared by fourth graders and elderly volunteers. The Children's Perception of Aging and Elderly (CPAE) inventory administered before and after the program indicated significant attitude improvement toward the elderly by participating students. Other information from the youth and elderly participants also indicated positive qualities of the partners program. The format used to organize the project is presented and the planned activities are identified. Recommendations for intergenerational programming are discussed.