by Shakima L. Tozay, LICSW, MSW, CCM, PMH-C
Connections between generations are essential for the mental health and stability of the nation.
Margaret Mead
Social workers are vital in bridging generational gaps in a world where disconnection is common. Rising independence and isolation threaten societal cohesion. The World Health Organization (2024) predicts that by 2030, 1 in 6 people will be over 60. Intergenerational relationships are vital for community health and resilience.
My ties with family and community inspired me to become a social worker. I wanted to address traumatic generational issues like poverty, domestic violence, and food insecurity in my community. The resilience I saw in older generations serves as an inspiration for mentoring and guiding others in the field.
Building Bridges Across Generations To Reduce Social Isolation
Giarrusso and Putney (2020) define intergenerational solidarity as the quality of relationships within families across generations. Over time, family bonds have weakened as a result of fierce independence, increasing isolation, and loneliness for both older and younger generations. Research by Krung (2023) reveals that roughly 50% of older adults living alone and from 5-15% of young people report experiencing loneliness.
Isolation and loneliness also raise serious health risks for people, including a 29% higher risk of heart disease, 32% higher risk of stroke, and 50% higher risk of dementia in older adults (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2023). Young people also have challenges with employment, politics, health, and justice (WHO, 2021).
How Social Workers Can Bridge the Divide
Social workers are competent agents of change. Advocating, organizing communities, developing programs, and applying systems theory, are methods social workers use to strengthen connections across generations. Acting as a bridge to generational gaps, social workers also assess interactions at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Multi-level interventions promote holistic understanding and change. (Social Work Graduate, 2024).
In micro-level practice, social workers empower people to solve problems using Person-in-Environment (PIE) and family systems frameworks. They use therapeutic tools and evidence-based interventions, such as genograms and support system eco-mapping, to understand family dynamics across generations and identify ways to strengthen social support networks.
At the mezzo level, social workers develop programs and services to connect groups intergenerationally. Such programs can improve parenting skills, increase civic involvement, enhance economic stability and community safety, and provide health and wellness education. Engaging the community in shared activities enriches life experiences. Co-designing these efforts with community leaders also ensures program sustainability. Thus, mezzo-level social work practice fosters knowledge sharing, empathy, and community resilience.
Lastly, macro-level social work interventions change organizations, communities, and policies. The Code of Ethics guides ethical practice and centers on social justice and advocacy, encouraging social workers to collaborate with legislators to develop new policies that benefit vulnerable communities. Social workers can shape policies that support cross-generational connections in communities.
Strengthening intergenerational solidarity is more than sharing recipes and preserving history. It’s about creating a vibrant, healthy society for all ages.
Social workers, it’s time to lead the way.
References
Giarrusso, R., & Putney, N. M. (2020). Intergenerational solidarity. Springer EBooks, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_901-1
Krug, E. (2023, November 15). It’s time to harness the power of connection for our health and well-being. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/it-s-time-to-harness-the-power-of-connection-for-our-health-and-well-being
Ross, E. (2024, October 25). What is causing our epidemic of loneliness and how can we fix it? Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/24/10/what-causing-our-epidemic-loneliness-and-how-can-we-fix-it
Social Work Graduate. (2024, May 15). Systems theory.
https://www.thesocialworkgraduate.com/post/systems-theory
United Nations. (2024). International Youth Day 2022: Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages | United Nations For Youth. https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/news/2022/06/iyd2022-intergenerational-solidarity-creating-a-world-for-all-ages/
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Global report on ageism.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2024). Ageing and Health.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health
Shakima L. Tozay, LICSW, MSW, CCM, PMH-C
Shakima L. Tozay, LICSW, MSW, CCM, PMH-C, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Alabama School of Social Work. She has more than a decade of experience in military and Veteran social work practice.