The family in the face of the elderly, the reflection of our destiny (1994)

Towards the end of the eighties, the theme of the so-called ‘third and fourth age’ came to everyone’s attention with growing awareness. The social and cultural context was new and worthy of attention, and its specific characteristics made the life of the old people increasingly problematic. The elderly are increasingly seen as a problem and less and less as a ‘person’. Since 1989, Eurispes has sought to explore this dimension while bearing in mind that the elderly person is always an individual historically influenced and criticised by the culture in which he or she lives, and is the projection of the historical and material contexts of each individual environment and period. The social, economic, political and cultural implications of such a rapid and significant population ageing affects, and will still affect in the future, the social balances, the economic compatibilities and the cultural evolution of our Country. In the survey, the problems linked to the transformation of family roles are addressed on the one hand, and on the other, the issue of care for the non-self-sufficient elderly is addressed.