title: [Place and function of fourth age persons in the family and in society: a challenge].
abstract: The life expectancy, at the age of 75 years, is nowadays 11 years for men and 13.5 for women, and is still increasing. Two aspects are here discussed; (i) the role of independent elderly people bringing to the younger generations financial support, experience, rules of social behaviour and memory, and (ii) the specific needs of solidarity that society and family have to provide to dependent elderly people. Adequate management of these problems is certainly a challenge for our culture.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D012945:Social Values
vernacular_title: La place et le rôle des personnes du quatrième âge dans la famille et dans la société: un défi.