CHAI at NYU

Thanks to the support from the Eisner Foundation, the CHAI and MSW Students developed the issue briefs on intergenerational challenges facing older adults.

Two new briefs examine how intergenerational dynamics influence dementia caregiving—and how we can improve. Su (2025) highlights the growing role of grandchildren as caregivers for individuals with dementia, and Fernandez Cajavilca (2025) explores how mHealth apps can bridge the gaps between caregivers and healthcare providers. Together, they call for innovation and policy change to support caregivers across generations.

🔗 Read the full issue brief on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (link in bio!)

Thanks to the support from the Eisner Foundation (), MSW students at NYU Silver have the opportunity to develop an issue brief addressing intergenerational challenges affecting older adults.

This brief (Flores, 2025) highlights the rapid growth of the 55+ prison population and the urgent need to address aging, health deterioration, and loss of dignity behind bars. It explores opportunities for reform that center redemption and promote healthy aging for incarcerated older adults.

🔗 Read the full issue brief on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (link in bio!)

This study (Gonzales, Whetung & Lee, 2025) examined how education, employment, and formal volunteering relate to cognitive functioning over time among older Hispanic adults in the U.S. High-intensity volunteering was especially beneficial for those with low educational attainment, while any volunteering helped slow cognitive decline among highly educated individuals. The findings highlight education, employment, and volunteering as promising policy strategies to support cognitive health in Hispanic aging populations.

🔗 Read the full article on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (link in bio!)

With the Eisner Foundation (), CHAI, and the students are developing the issue brief addressing intergenerational challenges affecting older adults.

These two briefs (Flores, 2025) exlpore the growing imperative to support aging in place and develop age-friendly, intergenerational cities as essential strategies to address the diverse needs of the rapidly expanding older population.

🔗 Read the full issue brief on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (link in bio!)

Thanks again to the Eisner Foundation (), an issue brief addressing intergenerational challenges affecting older adults was developed.

This brief (Krausz, 2025) explores critical opportunities for research on backward intergenerational trauma transmission—how trauma is passed from younger to older generations—and potential approaches for healing.

🔗 Read the full issue brief on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (link in bio!)

Can ageism be reduced by program practices?

Research has found a strong link between ageism and risks to physical and mental health. So, discussing the effectiveness of strategies to reduce ageism is crucial. In this article, the authors suggested that relatively low-cost, feasible strategies involving education and intergenerational contact can serve as the basis of effective interventions to reduce ageism.

Please find the full article with this link!

https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305123?role=tab

Do intergenerational programs really make a difference?

Intergenerational programs can engage youth and adults of nonadjacent generations in shared programming, but research is scarce. This study analyzed the associations between specific intergenerational implementation practices and younger and older participant outcomes and found that implementing certain practices was associated with significantly more intergenerational interaction. Please find the full article with this link!

https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/62/3/385/6422600

This research (Gordon & Gonzales, 2025) proposes a tripartite model of ageism in families, showing how family members' thoughts, feelings, and actions, combined with internalized ageism in older adults, can harm family relationships and older adults' well-being. While ageism is often studied in workplaces or the media, it's time we look closer at our own homes.

🔗 Read the full research on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (OR link in bio!)

Dr. Ernest Gonzales, the director of CHAI, was interviewed by NPR about the importance of the intergenerational program and its challenges, with the example of Logan, Kansas.

🔗 Read the full article on the NPR website: https://www.kmuw.org/news/2025-05-16/how-one-rural-kansas-town-is-bringing-kids-and-nursing-home-residents-together

Thanks to the support from the Eisner Foundation (), MSW students at NYU Silver had the opportunity to develop an issue brief on intergenerational challenges facing older adults.

This brief (Kontos, 2025) highlights the socio-economic and demographic context of LGBT older adults in the U.S.—and how legal and social discrimination can deepen economic insecurity.

🔗 Read the full issue brief on the CHAI website: www.nyuchai.org/publications (link in bio!)

Ernest Gonzales, associate professor at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work, launched an intergenerational homesharing program in 2018 that ran into several institutional barriers. “There were many limits on who could participate due to a range of federal, state, and local policies.” Because of these complexities, Gonzales says municipal-level investments, where mayors launch partnerships with nonprofits or private-sector companies — similar to what Boston did with the homesharing startup Nesterly — hold promise.

For the full report, please check link in the bio!