Loneliness and social isolation are key risk factors for developing dementia and other health problems as we age.1 Interventions like this, if scaled, could prevent up to 44 million cases of dementia over the next 20 years.2-3 Furthermore, the AARP and other leaders in the field have identified social engagement as a key priority for health of all kinds.4 MISCI combines creative projects with intergenerational visits because studies have shown that psychosocial interventions work best when using more than one modality.5
Younger people age >18* and older people in San Francisco are invited to participate in our 2019 study of the MISCI program. This project began under the umbrella of the Atlantic Fellowship for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute based at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center and Trinity College, Dublin with a multidisciplinary research team. Minerva University and Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly (LBFE) are inaugural partners and in 2018-2019 OpenHouse joined as a community-based partner along with students at San Francisco State University and at the University of San Francisco. The 2018-2019 pilot included thirty older people. Each participating older person was matched with two younger partners. Beginning in Fall, 2019, the program will engage 20 older people per session.
Our program receives financial support from
People ages 18+* may be eligible to participate in the Spring MISCI Pilot for Creative Engagement (MISCI-PCE) with the following features
Learn about brain health and how best to minimize bias and maximize productive collaboration across differences. Get matched with another younger participant and an older participant who will be your MISCI partners.
Develop your project together with your MISCI partners in 2 two-hour meetings/month. Connect with other students and project leads for additional training, trouble-shooting, and mutual support. Share the creative project at the final celebration.
In short journal entries, ongoing coaching and training, and brief surveys, consolidate your learning.
Participants who complete the program successfully will earn a MISCI-PCE Certificate from the Global Brain Health Institute. For details, look at our MISCI-CE Certification requirements.
Younger participants engage in
for a total of 24 to 28 hours of total time commitment over the course of three months. Feel fee to look at the current draft of our Fall 2019 schedule, but please note that dates and times may shift between now and October.
*A select number of people aged 16-17 enrolled at one of our partner schools or universities may also be eligible to participate with permission from a parent/guardian.
Click here for slides to learn more about our initial developmental study and program prototype.
