During an internship with Masonicare, Boulerice developed the Intergenerational Toy Chest, a collection of classic toys paired with a guidebook that gives families ideas for playing, talking and reminiscing with their loved ones. 

The idea started with Cherie Macri, a part-time occupational therapy faculty member who works with the memory care community at Masonicare. Macri noticed that while families were visiting residents, younger family members did not know how to meaningfully spend time with them.

“We noticed that visits could be brief, and younger family members were not always sure what to do or how to engage with someone living in dementia,” she said. “That uncertainty is understandable.”

Macri wanted to find a way to give families something they could use during their visits instead of leaving them to figure out how to interact on their own.

“So, we asked a different question: What if we gave families the roadmap?” she said.

That question became the idea behind the Intergenerational Toy Chest.

Boulerice connected with Masonicare through the Instructional Design and Technology program through Quinnipiac and was given the opportunity to turn the idea into a resource for families.

“I immediately loved the idea because it combined two area that mean a lot to me, which is education and working with children,” Boulerice said.

Her previous experience working in early childhood special education also influenced the project. Boulerice already understood the importance of play for children and began thinking about how it could also help families connect with older adults.

“One thing that really stuck with me during this project was thinking about what a visit can feel like for a family, especially for a child,” Boulerice said.

Boulerice wanted the toys to give families another option.

“You do not necessarily have to sit across from each other and figure out what to talk about,” Boulerice said. “You can build something, play a game, look through a book, make music or just be silly together. The activity gives you somewhere to begin.”

Choosing the toys took more thought than simply finding games that would be fun. Boulerice looked for toys that could work for different generations while also considering safety, accessibility, durability and whether they could be used by someone experiencing changes in memory or motor ability.

Boulerice also wanted the toys to have more than one use.

“Dominoes are a great example,” Boulerice said. “You can actually play dominoes, but you can also match the colored dots, create patterns, build a long line, count them or use the tiles to make a picture.”

Boulerice also looked for activities that naturally bring two people together.

“Building blocks are more fun when someone builds with you,” Boulerice said.  “A puppet almost automatically creates some interaction.”

Along with the toys, Boulerice created a guidebook to help families understand how they could use the items. She organized the toys into six different categories including "Imagine Together," "Move Together" and more.

Each toy has its own page with information about why it was selected, activities to try, conversation prompts, memory and engagement benefits and tips for family and staff.

The activities are meant to be flexible. Families do not have to follow the directions exactly or finish an activity to be successful.

“The goal isn’t to complete a game or create the perfect craft,” Macri said. “The goal is to create a moment of connection.”

The Toy Chest is meant to help families focus on spending time together rather than worrying about what dementia may have changed.

“Dementia may change a relationship, but it does not erase the relationship,” Macri said.

For Boulerice, the project was also a chance to take what she had learned at Quinnipiac and apply it to a real situation.

Her coursework taught her to consider an audience before creating a resource. With the Toy Chest, she had to think about residents, children, family members and Masonicare staff.

The experience also helped Boulerice see another side of instructional design.

“I wasn't teaching someone how to perform a job or complete a course,” Boulerice said. “I was designing support for human interaction.”

Macri said Boulerice’s willingness to learn from the people she was designing the project for helped shape the final product.

Macri also said that Boulerice brought her background in early childhood development and instructional design to the project while also being willing to listen and change her approach when needed.

“Kendra immediately stood out. She didn't walk in assuming she knew what families or residents needed,” Macri said. “She came into the community. She spent time with residents and staff. She asked questions. She observed. And she adapted her thinking based on what she learned.”

Boulerice said each person involved brought a different perspective to the project. “Cherie and the Masonicare team brought a lot of knowledge that I don't have, and that was really important.”

Masonicare is now exploring opportunities to expand the Intergenerational Toy Chest to additional facilities. Boulerice said she is excited about the possibility of the project reaching families she may never meet.

“I started this as a graduate student trying to take Masonicare’s idea and make it work,” Boulerice said. “I wasn't thinking about it becoming something bigger.”

Now, she hopes other memory care communities can take the idea and make it work for their own residents.

“I would love to see the Intergenerational Toy Chest become something other memory care communities could realistically recreate and adapt for their residents instead of it being something that only exists in one location,” she said.

Macri said the project is about more than the physical toy chest itself.

“The underlying idea is creating a simple, replicable way to help families feel more confident and capable during visits with someone living with dementia.” Macri said.

For Boulerice, though, the goal is simple.

“I hope it makes spending time together a little easier,” she said.

She hopes families do not feel like they need to understand dementia or know how to lead a structured activity before using the Toy Chest. Instead, she wants them to feel comfortable picking up a toy and seeing what happens.

“It gives families activities, conversation starters and opportunities for play and reminiscent that can be adapted to the individual” Boulerice said. 

Macri said the project also shows what Quinnipiac students can do when they have the opportunity to apply what they learn in class to real challenges.

“You don't have to wait until you have a title, a degree or years of experience to contribute something meaningful,” Macri said.

What started as a summer internship has grown into a project with the potential to help families spend time together in a different way.

For Boulerice, that is what makes the project worth continuing.

“If the Intergenerational Toy Chest can help take some of the uncertainty out of those visits and give residents more opportunities to play, make choices, share what they know and connect with younger people, then I think it is doing what we hoped it would do.” she said.