ÅRHUS (Aftenposten): The experiment in the Danish city of Århus is generating international interest.
In the common room in the generation house in Århus, children and pensioners gather to sing and dance every Tuesday.
Within a circle of walkers, a dozen children saunter. They dance and laugh among the elderly who sing “Kom May, du skjønne milde” at the top of their lungs. One plays the guitar.
– I love that there is a mixture of children, disabled people, students and the elderly here, says Lis Ravn.
Two and a half years ago, she woke up in her apartment. But something was wrong. She was unable to move her then 76-year-old body. The rescue became a very special building in Aarhus.
Ravn is not alone in having to make important choices in the face of his own old age.
Because soon a wave of elderly people will sweep over Europe. There are only three years until the large post-war cohorts mark their 80th birthdays.
– If we don’t do the right things now, things can go very wrong, says researcher Heidi Gautun at Oslo Met.
In 2030, for the first time, there will be more people over the age of 65 than children and young people in Norway. At the same time, fewer children are being born. And there is no longer any tradition of looking after your old relatives yourself.
There will be fewer hands to care for the elderly. And fewer to pay tax into the welfare system. That is why Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) wants the elderly to fend for themselves, at home.
But how is that to happen in a safe way?
In Denmark, there may be housing for the elderly of the future. But the Danes also come with a warning.
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2023-05-27 05:06:02
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