Starting from the study by Peter Laslett, A Fresh Map of Life (1989), the validity of the ‘general theory of the third age’ is assessed in the light of the intervening changes over the last twenty years, in particular the progressive Italian leadership in European longevity, with an eye to the Alpine area. Central to this is the role assumed by the family in the help given to the elderly, with the persistence of the strong family ties that are distinctive of Mediterranean Europe in its models of assistance. In the Alpine context, where the weight of (small) numbers affects living together with an ever older population, the contraction of medical and health services would seem to preclude the possibility of ageing well. In truth, the proximity of the caregivers – the offspring and closest relations – is also for this community one honoured way to give assistance to the elderly. The case of the Chisone and Germanasca valleys (Piedmontese Alps) and the comparison with the neighbouring French valleys confirm this data and bring to light the differences that could be due to the different cultures that exist in the Alps. Along with this and perhaps more so, the different structural composition of the elderly population compared with the plain (about which we still know little), as well as the different national and local welfare systems, seem to assume an influential role on how one ages in the Alps.
"Una nuova mappa della vita" già vecchia? Famiglia e assistenza in area alpina
VIAZZO, Piero;
2010-01-01
Abstract
Starting from the study by Peter Laslett, A Fresh Map of Life (1989), the validity of the ‘general theory of the third age’ is assessed in the light of the intervening changes over the last twenty years, in particular the progressive Italian leadership in European longevity, with an eye to the Alpine area. Central to this is the role assumed by the family in the help given to the elderly, with the persistence of the strong family ties that are distinctive of Mediterranean Europe in its models of assistance. In the Alpine context, where the weight of (small) numbers affects living together with an ever older population, the contraction of medical and health services would seem to preclude the possibility of ageing well. In truth, the proximity of the caregivers – the offspring and closest relations – is also for this community one honoured way to give assistance to the elderly. The case of the Chisone and Germanasca valleys (Piedmontese Alps) and the comparison with the neighbouring French valleys confirm this data and bring to light the differences that could be due to the different cultures that exist in the Alps. Along with this and perhaps more so, the different structural composition of the elderly population compared with the plain (about which we still know little), as well as the different national and local welfare systems, seem to assume an influential role on how one ages in the Alps.
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