Program Lesson 8 Family and Intergenerational Relationships


Retirement often brings increased time with the family	Sharing culture and history has special meaning for minority grandparents	Pasquale Capone continues his lifelong contributions to the family business	Lillian Salazar cares for her father, age 104

Summary of the Video and Text

Video

The video is comprised of three segments; each features older adults who discuss changes they have experienced in family relationships and activities over time. In the first segment on marital relations, experts and older adults discuss marriage, widowhood, divorce, and not being married. The second segment describes parent and grandparent roles in late life. In this segment, we begin to see examples of intergenerational exchange within families. In the final segment, caregiving roles are defined and illustrated. This segment also shows how community services can strengthen a family’s ability to care for a loved one who is frail or disabled.

Video Quote: Ben and Gloria Tamashiro's relationship has changed over time

Gloria Tamashiro: "My mother was old-fashioned but she was sort of forced to be like a subservient type. And she stayed home; she hardly ever went out, what with all these kids, you know. She just couldn't . And my dad was forever at work to earn enough to feed us and clothe us, you see. So I, I don't recall too much of that decision-making thing."

Ben Tamashiro: "In the post-war world after I got married, I kind of felt like the samurai type you know, yeah. Making your own decisions. But that has changed over the years as I said and I work more closely with Gloria now, see, yeah."

Text

Chapter 9, "The Importance of Social Supports: Family, Friends, and Neighbors," focuses primarily on informal supports (family and friends) and includes sections on family relationships (partners, children, grandchildren, siblings, and other kin), intergenerational assistance, older adults caring for even older parents, friends and neighbors, and services that can strengthen these relationships.

Video Quote: Leo Salazar expresses the importance of preserving his culture and heritage for his children

Leo Salazar: "You know the name Salazar is gonna go on. And I'm proud of it. And I'm proud of my parents and my grandparents. Now that I'm getting older, I'm beginning to write things. I even made up a family tree, five generations. And I gave all the names and I gave most of the birth dates and dates of death. And what they did, where they lived, and so on. You know, I want my children to know about that because I get a feeling now, the way the world is now, especially in the United States, when I'm gone, it'll be like a closing of a chapter."

Chapter 11, "Living Arrangements and Social Interactions," provides information on neighborhoods and on programs that address the changing housing needs of older adults, including independent living, shared housing, planned housing, congregate housing, retirement communities, assisted living, and nursing homes.

Video Quote: Linda Martin, Ph.D., notes that Asian countries are attempting to plan for their rapidly growing elder population

Linda Martin: "Governments in Asia are attempting to provide incentives to families to try to get them to continue to care for the elderly. In Japan and in Singapore in particular, there are tax incentives. So that if you have an elderly parent living with you, you can take a tax deduction. There are also financial incentives to help middle-aged people in Japan build housing so that the elderly can live with them in the same house. Interestingly enough, some of the governments are trying to legislate filial piety. The Chinese marriage law of 1980 specifies quite clearly that children are required to take care of their older parents. And similarly, that grandchildren are also responsible for their grandparents. So as we look around Asia and especially in East Asia, the countries that are known for great filial piety, the countries that are known for great respect to the elderly, we're finding that increasingly governments are worried that maybe the family can't do as much as they had hoped."

Features of the Study and Faculty Guides

Study Guide (MySocKit)

Key points of the lesson, integrating video and text, are elucidated under the learning objective topics. Self-study questions help students prepare for exams. Descriptions of discussion and essay/research topics provide instructions for a variety of activities that may be assigned by the instructor. The Study Guide also provides a glossary of key terms and concepts covered in the telecourse and a listing of participants in the video.

Faculty Guide

The descriptions of discussion and essay/research topics presented in the Study Guide are reprinted in the Faculty Guide with tips for assigning the activities effectively. In addition, in-class activity suggestions and exam questions/answers are included. The Guide offers options appropriate for faculty using the telecourse in different settings, e.g., in-class, distance learning, interactive television, or a combination of formats. A Video Index helps instructors find segments of the video by time code and topic.