Zusammenleben der Generationen und Perspektiven der Generationenarbeit

Abstract

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt die Generationenbeziehungen in ihrem Ausmaß, in ihren unterstützenden Funktionen und mit ihren Konflikten. Darüber hinaus zeigt er, welche Möglichkeiten der außerfamiliären Generationenbeziehungen es gibt und wie sich das Miteinander der Generationen fördern lässt. Der Beitrag ist im Einzelnen folgendermaßen gegliedert: Im ersten Kapitel wird die demographische Entwicklung beschrieben. Das zweite Kapitel erklärt den Unterschied zwischen dem Verhältnis und der Beziehung zwischen den Generationen. Es fragt weiter, ob aus den neuartigen Altersstrukturen mit einem deutlich gewachsenen Anteil der Älteren an der Bevölkerung Konflikte entstehen auf der Ebene des politischen Einflusses, der sozialstaatlichen Mittelverteilung und bezüglich der Einstellungen und Wertmuster. Das dritte Kapitel beschreibt Haushaltsformen und Familienstand als Merkmale der Lebenssituation Älterer. Da die meisten älteren Menschen alleine leben, richtet sich das Interesse auf die Beziehungen, die zwischen den eigenständigen Haushalten der Generationen im Familienverband bestehen (Kapitel vier). Intergenerationelle Hilfe und Unterstützung werden in Kapitel fünf skizziert und die mittlere sowie die ältere Generation werden als Geber und Empfänger in diesem Beziehungsnetz verortet. Insbesondere wird die Rolle des familiären Netzes bei der Versorgung hilfe- und pflegebedürftiger älterer Menschen beleuchtet. (ICD)

"Usually the public media depict intergenerational relationships as loosely bound and distant. In this view elderly people would live single and separated from their offspring, weak family ties in general would manifest themselves in a weak relationship to the elderly parents and little exchange of help and mutual support. This widespread public image is corrected by the report. In a first step the demographic development is outlined and the thesis about a coming 'war between the generations' is discussed. In a second step information about the living conditions of the elderly in different households which are important preconditions for intergenerational relationships are given. In the third part the report deals with intergenerational relationships with reference to historical new development towards overlapping lifecycles in this century. Regarding geographical distance and contacts, in the average population we cannot speak about deficits. The majority lives together closely. Although it is not common among elderly parents to share a household with adult children, they have regular contact. But there is a minority living in a greater distance and with rare contacts. Emotional relationships are close, especially between daughter and mother. Again, certain groups will not show this pattern. The mentioned closeness does not prevent conflicts. Social support follows a specific pattern. The generation in the middle has more exchange with own offspring and vice versa. Concerning the need for support in the older population, a spouse or a partner is of primary importance in most areas. But elderly who are widowed or living without a partner will refer to their children as the primary helpers. Most of social support is given within the family, especially by the middle generation. The report outlines the necessity for professional care services as well as the use of the German care insurance. An elaborated system of social support and medical care for elderly people exists. But regarding the impact of demographic changes, this system in its current shape is hardly capable of replacing family ties. Thus the necessity to develop intergenerational contacts and mutual help outside the family is outlined in chapter six. In a 'greying society' we need to support the contacts between generations beyond the boundaries of families. Therefore in the last chapter, the report deals with approaches to intergenerational work that aim at supporting the dialog between generations. Models in Bavaria are presented to generate the motivation for a further growth of intergenerational work." (author's abstract)