The Oxford Handbook of Intergenerational Connections

The need to develop connections between members of different generations is being driven by a host of trends and challenges, including demographic shifts, workforce shortages and multigenerational teams, educational gaps, caregiving demands, youth and senior health and housing problems, economic insecurity, and rapid technological change. Many of these trends and challenges, already under way, were accelerated or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This handbook presents what is known about the spectrum of intergenerational initiatives in the United States and abroad--the very first to do so in reference book form. It addresses specifically what increases cooperation, interaction, or exchange between any two (or more) generations and how to foster the sharing of skills, knowledge, or experience between old and young. Comprising 30 chapters, each written by leading experts in their field, the handbook is organized around five sections: Cross-Generational Relationships, Older Adults Working with Younger People, Younger People Helping Older Adults, Global Perspectives on Intergenerational Relationships, and Recommendations for Strengthening and Sustaining the Intergenerational Movement.

Elizabeth F. Fideler, EdD, is a founding member of the Sloan Research Network based at the Center on Aging & Work, Boston College. Earlier, after several years of classroom teaching, she earned a doctorate in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. She continued working for many years as an education researcher and senior manager in nonprofit organizations. Her primary research and writing interests are: 1) biographies of interesting subjects whose stories deserve to be told; 2) extended work life (mature adults choosing to continue working beyond conventional retirement age); and 3) intergenerational connections.