Healthy ageing - Intergenerational relationships

Monica Dux’s article which appeared in the Age newspaper on December 19, 2020 invites us to reflect on our contemporary experience of ageing and provides a useful critique of our conditioning to only socialise with those of the same generation, She extols the richness of friendship with a person two decades older than her. In this regard she also notes the rarity of intergenerational friendships in her life.

So, what is our own experience of friendship across the intergenerational divides. Do we have many quality friendships with people older than ourselves? in what ways are our lives enriched by such interaction? What gets in the way of meaningful contact with those older than us?

Our Community Centre facilitates a weekly multicultural group for people aged over 50 called Aunties and Uncles. It offers welcome, inclusivity and an opportunity for people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to practise conversational English.

It also has a focus on healthy ageing and involves psychoeducation, gentle exercise, laughter therapy and a range of other games and activities that privilege both good health and re-creation. A light lunch is also provided.

The group has Aunties and Uncles form Cambodia, Vietnam, Somalia, Egypt, El Salvador, China, Thailand, and Taiwan as well seniors from Anglo Australian backgrounds.

Interestingly our group has also been enriched by the participation of some people much younger than fifty years of age who have visited and enjoyed the company of people the age of their parents or grandparents...and stayed. Our Aunties and Uncles group has morphed into a rare opportunity for intercultural and intergenerational relationship.

Mary-Anne Hess, our Interim Community Centre Manager 0403175200, or Marcus Chick our Office Manager 0417 372 194, can provide more information to anyone interested in our Aunties and Uncles Group.