Podcast Episode 38: The benefits of intergenerational relationships

At some point in our lives, many of us may experience periods of loneliness from time to time and for some individuals this can lead to withdrawal from family, friends and the wider society impacting on an individual's physical, mental and social health. Global public health services are having to cope with additional demands placed on them by changes in demographics such as an ageing society, and the proportion of older persons living alone is sadly increasing, with many individuals spending too much time alone, which can lead them to an even greater risk of loneliness and total withdrawal from their society. Up until recently, people were used to forming friendships with their own peer groups. groups. However, today's view to address the problem of social isolation with all age ranges in modern society today is by promoting intergenerational connections and espousing how rewarding these relationships are. Social bonds are a key component of quality of life in all generations who thrive in a collaborative social networking environment. But it's not always easy in a modern-day technological social media society to build or maintain friendships. Regardless of generational age differences, friends bring us such joy, trust, loyalty, confidence and companionship that we desire and has an impact on our lives. Also, the feeling of security just being one of the many emotional benefits unadulterated mutual trust and compassion that long-term friendships provide, whilst also supporting one's mental and physical health and well-being. Especially as relationships between the mature and the younger generation can make us feel connected in several ways, and it can also make us feel interconnected, not only with each other, but in today's cultural society that benefits all generations. The importance of long-term friendships was highlighted recently when celebrating one's birthday and the maitre d was taking photographs of us and he asked about the length of our relationships. Naturally we followed this wonderful conversation where we suddenly realised the different generational span of our closeness and the joys of companionship and fulfilment gained through our meaningful interactions over the years we had experienced. Also it made me appreciate the core objectives of respecting and enjoying these long-term relationships and connecting to individuals I so care about whilst investing in the happiness and sharing of activities that we all valued. Especially today when we are digitally connected to more and more people the celebrations made me appreciate and appraise the importance of social face-to-face communication. That certainly was achieved during this celebration and it was achieved through touch, intellectual stimuli, laughter, genuine love and friendship along with a personal musical rendition by my musician-songwriter friend making my birthday a unique memorable face-to-face experience. On reflection the key to these relationships has always been empathetic in times of need and grounded in common interests and values. Today's seniors are living longer and many enjoy better health into their later years and have the benefits of lifelong knowledge acquisition, offering opportunities to make a significant social contribution to the younger generations and the friendship. It can also be a wonderful resource for younger people by sharing their history and lifetime accumulated wisdom. But also for the older generation their life skills can contribute to being a role model for the younger person to aspire to and it's so important that all of us have at least one role model in our lives. The physical limitations that come with getting older can often help to cement the relationships between the different age groups and the psychological changes that accompany old age can be useful fundamentally for intergenerational connections. As friendships with younger people have a fantastic way of enabling us seniors to become motivated and to recapture a sense of adventure and a greater willingness to try new things as intergenerational friendships offer something different based on their personal and status in life. Having close friends in the opposite sex can sometimes be very alien to some people and push them out of their comfort zones, yet in my professional and personal world I have been and am still extremely fortunate to have over the years formed friendships that have flourished amongst the opposite sex and different age groups. These close intergenerational friendships have been formed and extended over 35 years and beyond. When I analyse it I realise that the individuals of this friendship intergenerational age group are people who really listen, care, legitimately take an interest and offer the kind of genuine support that continues to enrich my generational gap relationships to date. Naturally we choose to be friends with people we connect with and are comfortable with as this contributes to our happiness and as much as people tease one about a generational age gap for many it's a cement of sound respectful bonding friendships, truly valuing the perspectives that friends of a different age can provide. For me personally, I have gained a thousand fold with intergenerational friendships, as I have been encouraged and empowered to expand my limited parameters relating to computer technology, social media, current day music and also discovering outstanding humour via the internet that I was totally unaware of. We should aspire to empower individuals to age with dignity and security as integral members of society in a vibrant and social cohesive populace. Hence intergenerational activities are a great way for people of all ages in the community to really get to know each other. And for me personally, I have enjoyed preparing meals and looking forward to eating with the younger generation, sharing stories and common interests. And just as satisfying and gratifying, many older persons experiencing younger generation companionship become once again fully integrated into their social communities and thereby are given new meaning and well-being to their lives. If you would like to know more about role models please visit the leg club website youtube platform and listen to podcast 13 which gives a wonderful overview on the importance of a role model in today's society. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening.