Intergenerational workshop within the framework of the project DANET pursued investigating the concept of active ageing using the method of incomplete sentences, among the students of the School of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb (third grades of the secondary school, at the ages of 16 to 17).
The moderator of the workshop is Martina Božić, mag. educ., and the survey has been managed by Gordana Matković – Kamenar, mag. educ. Intergeneration workshop was well-attended and developed in a constructive way.Different opinions have been put forward as well as facts from gained experiences.
The students were asked three questions; here are some of the replies:
1. What is meant by the third age?
By selecting the students’ replies we got the opinion of the majority, which is, that old age begins after the age between 50 and 60, and that it is in fact an undesired age.
It is the age of most difficult experiences, perception of being rejected, waiting for the angel of death in the premises of gloomy old people’s homes.
The replies on the part of those who are persons with fine prospects indicate that in fact stereotypes in connection with the third age people must be altered promptly and thoroughly, especially through the instruments of the government which ‘the golden generation’ deprived of their dignity and belittled their merits that have been won during their life.
2. Does belonging to the third age group mean being intellectually old?
NO – the common reply of the secondary school students.
Both generations plead for active ageing because it is ageing meeting high standards.
People who belong to the third age group could hear, examine and try out all that what they have not managed to do because of their job and family obligations. They should meet socially, travel, learn foreign languages and transfer their wisdom and life experience to the young people.
3. How young people can help people of the third age?
One has to communicate more with the elderly, visit their grandmas and grandpas more frequently. The elderly should not be abandoned but help them when being sick, and, as much as they can, also financially. Show them that they are loved and that we need them.
Some secondary school students’ replies singled out:
* The old age is a period in which people frequently became depressed, because they think that nobody needs them any more.
* The old age is not there just to lament, the old age is there for the reason to repeat our youth and to experience, once again, all that we went through in our childhood, and our grandchildren help us with all that – with them we go to the kindergarten again, watch cartoons, go to school, enrol to secondary school, graduate college, and if necessary get up early again….
* Then we are on holidays that last as long as we’re alive.
* The old age is the golden age where the winners are only those people who do not give up on themselves!
Mia Torrens on
The old age certainly is not a golden age, it is a challenge to let go many illusions of health and power. On the other side it is a good possibility to learn to know oneself better as well as to try some experiences in areas which were not possible in the earlier years. As soon as one accepts the enormous changes of our time, instead of the leisure one perhaps imagined combined with old age, every day can bring surprises.
I think we have to exercise openness and mental flexibility for old age in order to manage it well.
We must face to the fact: human life is expectancy getting longer and young people have families later and have fewer and fewer children. As a consequence, the share of older population is growing. Even if we extend the working life (up to 70 years) a needs for health and social care of the elderly population will be an increasing burden on state budgets. Active aging should be a solution to this problem. Only active seniors, (mind and body active) will be healthy for longer and less burden on society. Positive examples of active aging are learning, teaching others and engagement in volunteer work. Through these activities the seniors will be useful to society.