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GROWING OLD- The Challenge of the “INTERGENERATION CONTRACT” Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Ina GJIKONDI, Albania Sep 30, 2006
Health   Opinions

  

GROWING OLD- The Challenge of the “INTERGENERATION CONTRACT”
Today we find the demand to care for older people codified in modern law. In several countries, notably Japan, Singapore, and Israel, secular laws enable elderly parents to sue their children if they do not care for them. Many European countries have legislation whereby adult children are taxed to pay for the care their parents need. To realize this vision in a countrywide context, individuals and policymakers in Albania must re-evaluate attitudes toward age and place a new focus on the life course as a flexible, responsive process that leads to National Policies and Law Enforcement Framework.

Increased attention should be given to the socio-economic impact of ageing societies. A two-pronged approach may be adopted to address this issue at the most fundamental level: first, human development efforts should focus on different stages of the life course through age-adjusted policies and programmes that encourage workplace flexibility, lifelong learning and healthy lifestyles, with particular attention given to transitional periods such as youth to adulthood, family formation, and middle age to later years; and second, steps should be taken to strengthen the social environment at the family, neighbourhood and community levels.

Inter-generational initiatives are one way to ensure the generations communication in “world of inter-generational digital divide”. The development of the true community includes all its representative parts, and reciprocal giving and receiving of support and care are essential features of a community, whether local, regional, national or international. The establishment of organizations such as the Centre for Inter-generational Practice in the UK is also important as we can all learn from others and we can each share and exchange knowledge.

Inter-generational programs work two ways since young people can often teach older people a thing or two, especially in the world of technology. Older people often can better understand “youth culture” and thereby help to ensure that the worldwide refrain “my family doesn’t understand me” is uttered a little less by young people. Younger people can also find out that older people are not as different from them as they thought after all.

Assuming that the inter-generational contract is of value to society, we must now ask
whether it can persist. Can all of the forms in which it has existed realistically be
expected to continue? When the family is changing so dramatically, can the traditional
form of the inter-generational contract remain unchanged? Will the society take advantage to reorganize the legislative pillar of “inter-generation contract”?

The inter-generational contract is not an issue solely for the old and young. It concerns
each and every one of us. It concerns the life stage in which we find ourselves today and
our role in and expectations of tomorrow.

The European Union Challenge for Albania and Albanians highlights above all, welfare society conditions, which under mutual understanding is the subscription of the Inter-generational Contract.

To conclude, consider this thought from Lesser Brown, a U.S. environmentalist:
“We do not inherit the planet from our grandparents, but borrow it from our children.”





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Ina GJIKONDI


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