See Appendix F to access the measures.
Frequently Used Outcomes Measures
Measures for Older Adults
- Generativity: This 20-item assessment measures concern about guiding the next generation. It has been validated in adult populations.
- Attitudes Toward Youth: This survey was originally designed to gauge perceptions of youth by mentors, but it can be administered to adults more broadly.
- Mental Wellness: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) is a self-administered, two-item questionnaire that helps identify the frequency of a depressed mood.
Measures for Older Adults and Youth
- Empathy: This seven-item scale gauges self-reported feelings of empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
- Loneliness: This three-item scale is used to assess feelings of loneliness or social isolation in adults 18 years and older. Although it has not been validated in younger populations, the questions could be administered to older youth.
- Self-esteem: This 10-item scale gauges self-worth by measuring both positive and negative appraisals about the self.
- Civic Responsibility: This eight-item survey gauges the extent to which participants believe they have obligations and duties to their communities.
- Resilience: The 6-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) assesses the ability to bounce back or recover from stress.
- Satisfaction Survey: Use this survey after a program or activity has concluded to better understand what participants liked or didn’t like about the program, and what you might change moving forward.
Measures for Youth
- Attitudes about Older Adults/Aging Scales: These three surveys are designed to understand the perceptions of aging and older adults held by youth.
STEP 4: Identify someone to help you analyze the data.
A great way to get volunteers or students interns involved in your program is to ask for help with compiling and analyzing surveys results. Consider approaching the research methods instructor at a local college or university to ask if students might be interested in gaining experience with program evaluation. This would be a great final project for students, and something they could add to their resumes.
Connecting Generations in Senior Housing: 