The role of intergenerational family and social networks in ageing well

Demographic and social trends influence the number of generations alive at any one time and the number of family members within each generation. As these changes have occurred simultaneously with changing family dynamics such as divorce, single parent families, dual income families, increased female labour participation, geographic dispersion of family members, and an increased likelihood of living alone in later life the nature of intergenerational interactions has also changed. Understanding the nature and forms of informal family networks will become increasingly important as societal structures, social norms, and aged and health care policies change. Much of Dr Feist's research in the past 10 years has explored the social and support networks of older people, including intergenerational exchanges and interactions. This common thread of enquiry will be woven through this presentation to explore diverse sub-groups of Australia’s older population. Dr Helen Feist is the Acting Director of the Australian Population and Migration Research Centre at the University of Adelaide, where she worked with the late Professor Graeme Hugo AO since 2006. For the past 12 years Dr Feist's research has a focus on Australia's ageing population and the implications of this for society and communities. Much of this work involves an examination of space, place, the built environment; community connectedness, and social and support networks. Dr Feist is the National President of the Australian Association of Gerontology and a founding member of the International Longevity Centre-Australia (ILC-Aus) research group, a member of the ILC Global Alliance.