LA INTERGENERATIONAL MEDIATION WITH OLDER ADULTS: A TOOL FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLD AGE

Abstract

Demographic aging is often perceived as a source of conflict in relation to social security systems or the development of public policies. Conversely, this phenomenon is also experienced as an achievement linked to human longevity and scientific advances. Aging will offer significant opportunities once older adults are included not merely as objects of care, but as agents of change and as a human resource. 
The response to the need for an intergenerational mediation service with older adults can be found within a framework that encompasses several dimensions: demographic changes; the role of the family, in connection with the care crisis; and new models of old age, in which the rights of older adults to make decisions about their lives and to enjoy healthy and active aging must be considered. 
Once these new realities are identified and acknowledged, a dual challenge emerges: on the one hand, the generation of scientific knowledge, and on the other, the design of inclusive and participatory policies in which older adults are part of an active citizenry. Promoting quality of life in old age constitutes the most immediate challenge of intergenerational mediation with older adults.