Family Futures

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dvancing

ocial

ntegration

and

ntergenerational

olidarity

live in households headed by a grandparent or other relative.

Known as ‘grandfamilies’, these older caregivers provide an

incredible service to their families and their government by

reducing the burden on both. It’s estimated that grandfami-

lies save US taxpayers more than US$6.5 billion a year by

keeping children and youth out of the government-funded

foster care system. Children in grandfamilies can benefit

because relative caregivers are less likely to separate sisters

and brothers and provide a stronger connection to roots,

culture and heritage. Children in relative care report feeling

loved far more often than those in the care of a government

system. And while a young person may age out of a system

when they reach adulthood, they never age out of a family

that continues to care for them even as they transition.

Unfortunately, older relatives are rarely acknowledged in

family policies. It’s becoming impossible, though, to ignore

the pivotal role grandparents, grand aunts and uncles and

extended family members play in supporting healthy children

and protecting social cohesion. Fortunately, in recent years

we’ve witnessed some progress in family policymaking. In the

US, policymakers have begun to recognize that some older

adults are the receivers of care while others are the givers of

care. The National Family Caregiver Support Program, for

example, was originally proposed to fund services such as

respite, support groups and legal services for family members

supporting older relatives. Advocates intervened and success-

fully lobbied for the inclusion of older relatives caring for

children. Still, good family policymaking lags behind and

needs to change so that caregivers can do what they do best:

raise a healthy, productive next generation.

Thriving communities around the world mirror the

family compact of strong exchange and solidarity between

generations. Just like families, communities that support

intergenerational programmes (those that engage two or

more generations) play an important role in promoting inter-

generational cohesion. Dr Leng Leng Thang of Singapore

found that intergenerational programmes provide a platform

for developing positive relationships across generations and

also strengthen the quality of ties between family members.

Similarly, a study in Europe found that younger people

engaged in intergenerational programmes showed more inter-

est in the older members of their own families.

Intergenerational programmes vary around the world,

but they typically fall into four categories – young serving

old, old serving young, young and old serving together,

and intergenerational shared sites. Recording oral histo-

ries, teaching mobile phone use and delivering meals to

home-bound seniors are all examples of the young serving

the old. Older adults serve younger generations when they

tutor, mentor or pass on history and culture. Younger and

older teams can serve together when they assess needs in

their neighbourhoods and recommend solutions, work to

cultivate intergenerational community gardens or produce

music or theatre together. Intergenerational shared sites

can be adult and child day care offered under one roof,

a school and a senior centre built together, or providing

summer meals for low-income children in the dining room

of a nursing home.

Practices and approaches that bridge the gap between

different age groups save dollars while making sense. They

are a tribute to reciprocity. Studies conducted by Johns

Hopkins University and Washington University in St Louis,

US found that that older adults who participated in inter-

generational programmes took better care of themselves,

were healthier and less depressed, scored better on memory

tests and had larger social networks. Young people in the

Older relatives play a pivotal role in supporting healthy children and

protecting social cohesion

Image: Generations United/Jeanette DeVore

The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and

is entitled to protection by society and the state.

– United Nations, 1948

Reliance on grandparents and other relatives to raise children has increased

dramatically around the world

Image: Generations United/Gabriella Kiss