This research formed part of a broader research project that explored respect in relationships between young female adults and older people (60+ years) in a South African context. Different themes emerged from this research such as the motivation younger people have for respecting older persons; as well as different forms of giving and receiving respect. This research will specifically focus on themes that emerged inductively about the relational context in which the experiences of respect were expressed and the challenges of respect in the interpersonal experiences. It has been recorded in literature on intergenerational relationships that respect is not only an essential element in these relationships but also that it contributes to constructive relationships. Most of the research about respect has been conducted in Asian and Western countries, while some research has also been done in Ghana, Africa. The above mentioned research findings identified specific behavioural forms of respect, and attitudes and/or emotions associated with respect. Furthermore it has been found that respect can either be earned or deserved, or not, depending on whether and to what extent the person concerned is considered to have met certain requirements. Little research has been done on how people, especially young female adults in South Africa, experience respect in intergenerational relationships. Experiences of respect between people from different generations always take place in an interpersonal context and therefore the Self-Interaction Group Theory (SIGT) was used to understand young female adults’ experiences of respect in relationships with older people. Following SIGT, for the purposes of this study respect is defined as the subjective experience of the relational interactions between people. The focus in this study falls on the experience of respect in relationships with older people from young female adults’ perspective. Traditionally female gender roles have been associated with care. However, these roles changed to more flexible gendered roles and today women are not able to adopt many different roles. The past generations’ women took care of their older parents, whereas in the present women also pursue careers and this may have an influence on their interactions with older people as they may not necessarily be able to take care of the older people anymore. The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University. A qualitative research method informed by an exploratory and descriptive approach was used in an attempt to describe the participants’ subjective experiences of respect in the relationships they have with older people. A purposive sample was used and 26 women (between 21 and 28 years old) who are post-graduate psychology university students in the North West, South Africa, participated in the study. The study used a homogenous group of participants in order to get a detailed picture of their experiences. Young adults are in a transitory phase of their lives and research indicated that it is important to investigate their attitudes towards older people because they are likely to form new values, because their lives and behaviours are more influenced by their peers and because they have less parental supervision. Data was collected in three data-gathering sessions over the period of three days. Textual and visual data was collected through the use of the Mmogo- method®, a projective visual research method which uses a focus group approach. The Mmogo- method® material consists of a lump of malleable clay, different sizes and colours of beads and dried grass stalks of different lengths. Participants are provided with the open-ended materials and based on an open-ended prompt, they are requested to create a visual representation, which in this research was: Please use the material provided and create anything that can tell us more about how you perceive respect in relation to a person, or persons older than 60 years of age. After the exercise participants were asked to explain what they have created. A collaborative effort of co-constructed meanings took place as the visual representation of each participant became the stimulus material for group discussions. The visual representations of participants were photographed and analysed using visual analysis, while the digital recordings of the individuals’ explanations of their visual representations as well as the group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying four strategies, including: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability of the research findings. The findings revealed that the relationship with older persons is subjectively described in terms of emotional or cognitive experiences and associated with specific relational contexts. In the familial and social context the experience of respect were linked with care and most of these relationships were described as affectionate/emotional. In the familial and social contexts, older persons were placed in a one-up position with the young adults, since the young adults want to obey and/or honour them. Some described the relationship as a relationship where they interacted as equals. In different contexts, work related, educational and familial, young adults expressed ambivalent emotions: some expressed admiration and love, while others expressed frustration and anger. In the work-related and educational relational contexts, the relationships were experienced as being formal and described in cognitive terms. In these relationships young adults expressed frustration and anger if their needs were not addressed based on how the relational context defined the relationship. For example in the educational contexts, the needs of the young adults were to get clarity on learning content, to receive support to reach their goals, and to reach emotional safety. Young female adults indicated that respect towards older persons is no longer based on the age of older persons. It rather depends on the reciprocal actions and reactions between young adults and older persons; and that it depends on how the relationship between the generational members develops over time, as well as the ability of generational members to bridge the distance between them and to adopt each other’s life worlds, whilst refraining from judgemental and stereotypical assessment of older persons. This study hence holds important implications for the creation of intergenerational programmes in order to enhance relationships between young adults and older people. A specific contribution of the findings is that when planning interventions intergenerational programmes should be designed to take into consideration the specific interpersonal context. Furthermore, the definitions of respect as held by both of the generational members should be considered in planning intergenerational interventions in specific interpersonal contexts. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This research formed part of a broader research project that explored respect in relationships between young female adults and older people (60+ years) in a South African context. Different themes emerged from this research such as the motivation younger people have for respecting older persons; as well as different forms of giving and receiving respect. This research will specifically focus on themes that emerged inductively about the relational context in which the experiences of respect were expressed and the challenges of respect in the interpersonal experiences. It has been recorded in literature on intergenerational relationships that respect is not only an essential element in these relationships but also that it contributes to constructive relationships. Most of the research about respect has been conducted in Asian and Western countries, while some research has also been done in Ghana, Africa. The above mentioned research findings identified specific behavioural forms of respect, and attitudes and/or emotions associated with respect. Furthermore it has been found that respect can either be earned or deserved, or not, depending on whether and to what extent the person concerned is considered to have met certain requirements. Little research has been done on how people, especially young female adults in South Africa, experience respect in intergenerational relationships. Experiences of respect between people from different generations always take place in an interpersonal context and therefore the Self-Interaction Group Theory (SIGT) was used to understand young female adults’ experiences of respect in relationships with older people. Following SIGT, for the purposes of this study respect is defined as the subjective experience of the relational interactions between people. The focus in this study falls on the experience of respect in relationships with older people from young female adults’ perspective. Traditionally female gender roles have been associated with care. However, these roles changed to more flexible gendered roles and today women are not able to adopt many different roles. The past generations’ women took care of their older parents, whereas in the present women also pursue careers and this may have an influence on their interactions with older people as they may not necessarily be able to take care of the older people anymore. The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University. A qualitative research method informed by an exploratory and descriptive approach was used in an attempt to describe the participants’ subjective experiences of respect in the relationships they have with older people. A purposive sample was used and 26 women (between 21 and 28 years old) who are post-graduate psychology university students in the North West, South Africa, participated in the study. The study used a homogenous group of participants in order to get a detailed picture of their experiences. Young adults are in a transitory phase of their lives and research indicated that it is important to investigate their attitudes towards older people because they are likely to form new values, because their lives and behaviours are more influenced by their peers and because they have less parental supervision. Data was collected in three data-gathering sessions over the period of three days. Textual and visual data was collected through the use of the Mmogo- method®, a projective visual research method which uses a focus group approach. The Mmogo- method® material consists of a lump of malleable clay, different sizes and colours of beads and dried grass stalks of different lengths. Participants are provided with the open-ended materials and based on an open-ended prompt, they are requested to create a visual representation, which in this research was: Please use the material provided and create anything that can tell us more about how you perceive respect in relation to a person, or persons older than 60 years of age. After the exercise participants were asked to explain what they have created. A collaborative effort of co-constructed meanings took place as the visual representation of each participant became the stimulus material for group discussions. The visual representations of participants were photographed and analysed using visual analysis, while the digital recordings of the individuals’ explanations of their visual representations as well as the group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying four strategies, including: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability of the research findings. The findings revealed that the relationship with older persons is subjectively described in terms of emotional or cognitive experiences and associated with specific relational contexts. In the familial and social context the experience of respect were linked with care and most of these relationships were described as affectionate/emotional. In the familial and social contexts, older persons were placed in a one-up position with the young adults, since the young adults want to obey and/or honour them. Some described the relationship as a relationship where they interacted as equals. In different contexts, work related, educational and familial, young adults expressed ambivalent emotions: some expressed admiration and love, while others expressed frustration and anger. In the work-related and educational relational contexts, the relationships were experienced as being formal and described in cognitive terms. In these relationships young adults expressed frustration and anger if their needs were not addressed based on how the relational context defined the relationship. For example in the educational contexts, the needs of the young adults were to get clarity on learning content, to receive support to reach their goals, and to reach emotional safety. Young female adults indicated that respect towards older persons is no longer based on the age of older persons. It rather depends on the reciprocal actions and reactions between young adults and older persons; and that it depends on how the relationship between the generational members develops over time, as well as the ability of generational members to bridge the distance between them and to adopt each other’s life worlds, whilst refraining from judgemental and stereotypical assessment of older persons. This study hence holds important implications for the creation of intergenerational programmes in order to enhance relationships between young adults and older people. A specific contribution of the findings is that when planning interventions intergenerational programmes should be designed to take into consideration the specific interpersonal context. Furthermore, the definitions of respect as held by both of the generational members should be considered in planning intergenerational interventions in specific interpersonal contexts. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The intergenerational relationships between the generation of young people and the generation of the elderly constitute the topic of this thesis. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the specifics of generations of young and old people, demographic trends and aspects that have been occuring with an increasing number of seniors. Misunderstanding and intergenerational conflicts belong among the negative consequences of an aging society. In order to prevent intergenerational conflicts, it is necessary to create conditions so that the members of different generations can get to know each other better and comprehend the lifestyle of a different generation. Due to the transformation of the contemporary family - with grandchildren not having an opportunity to be with their grandparents in close contact as much as it used to be in the past - it is necessary to look for new ways to interconnect the worlds of young and old people. A volunteer project focused on an informal intergenerational learning is one of the options. Regarding the empirical part of the paper, it aims to determine whether the implementation of a volunteer project - that involves students as volunteers and seniors as clients of a home for the elderly - may contribute to the intergenerational rapprochement, whether common...

A pesquisa investigou o espaço de mediação da telenovela brasileira na relação intergeracional, entre pais e filhos brasileiros que moram no Japão. Trata-se de um estudo de caso que enfocou a recepção e que adotou as técnicas de grupo de discussão, entrevista em profundidade e história de vida. A pesquisa de campo, realizada no Japão, envolveu a coleta de dados acerca da telenovela brasileira com os imigrantes brasileiros, pais e filhos, que moram naquele país. O quadro teórico teve como base os Estudos Culturais, a abordagem das Mediações, a Análise do Discurso (AD) e os estudos de linguagem de Bakhtin. O objetivo principal foi observar os sentidos produzidos pelos discursos da/sobre a telenovela brasileira e sua possível constituição como mediação na relação intergeracional. A telenovela constrói-se como mediação, ou seja, como instância por meio da qual é possível observar as diversas camadas de sentidos proporcionadas por seus discursos que conjugam matrizes culturais e as injunções sociais, econômicas e culturais envolvidas no formato. Com base na análise realizada foi possível observar o embate incessante entre alguns aspectos dos comportamentos e valores das duas culturas, a brasileira e a japonesa, constituintes da dupla ancoragem cultural desses brasileiros. A materialidade desses embates pode ser observada: no consumo de produtos exibidos na telenovela; na discussão sobre os valores e visão de mundo de brasileiros e japoneses; no estranhamento e/ou aceitação de comportamentos mostrados na telenovela. Dessa forma, a telenovela ocupa um espaço simbólico de mediação que traz lembranças, produz sentidos de identidade e brasilidade, atualiza informações, serve de ponte e de referência para as relações entre pais e filhos que negociam, discutem, debatem e nesse confronto cotidiano aprendem a estabelecer limites e demarcar territórios no \"entre-lugares\", divididos entre as duas culturas, a japonesa e a brasileira. / The research investigated the space for mediation of the Brazilian telenovela in the intergenerational relationship between Brazilian parents and children living in Japan. This is a case study that focused on reception and adopted the techniques of discussion group, in-depth interview and life history. The field research, conducted in Japan, involved the collection of data about the Brazilian telenovela with Brazilian immigrants, parents and children, who live in that country. The theoretical framework was based on the Cultural Studies, the Mediations approach, the Discourse Analysis (AD) and the Bakhtin\'s language studies. The main objective was to observe the senses produced by the discourses of and about the Brazilian telenovela and its possible constitution as mediation in the intergenerational relationship. The telenovela is constructed as mediation, that is, as a space through which it is possible to observe different layers of meanings provided by their discourses that combine cultural matrices and the social, economic and cultural injunctions involved in Format. Based on the analysis performed it was possible to observe the incessant clash between some aspects of the behaviours and values of the Brazilian and the Japanese cultures, constituents of the double cultural anchoring of these Brazilians. The materiality of these conflicts can be observed: in the consumption of products exhibited in the telenovela; in the discussion about the values and worldview of Brazilians and Japanese; in the estrangement and/or acceptance of behaviors shown in the telenovela. In this way, the telenovela occupies a symbolic space of mediation that brings memories, produces senses of identity and Brazilian identity sense, updates information, serves as a bridge and reference for the relations between parents and children who negotiate, discuss, debate and in this Daily confrontation they learn to establish boundaries and demarcate territories in the \"between the places\", divided between the two cultures, the Japanese and the Brazilian.

Submitted by Lafaiete Santos Santiago (lafaiete.santiago@ucsal.br) on 2016-11-16T17:53:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Djalma.pdf: 127904574 bytes, checksum: 0c592973260b0861b7ae3cbb58247582 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rosemary Magalhães (rosemary.magalhaes@ucsal.br) on 2017-01-13T18:37:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Djalma.pdf: 127904574 bytes, checksum: 0c592973260b0861b7ae3cbb58247582 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-13T18:37:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Djalma.pdf: 127904574 bytes, checksum: 0c592973260b0861b7ae3cbb58247582 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-10 / A família é um organismo mutável que transforma e é transformado pela sociedade. Pela adoção de certas regras e conceitos,ela abre espaço para as mudanças sociais. A família contemporânea tem passado por profundas modificações causadas, sobretudo, por fatores tais como: inserção profissional da mulher, globalização dos meios de comunicação de massa, complexidade das relações intergeracionais, fruto do enfraquecimento da família nuclear, do crescente número de divórcios e recasamentos. Ao lado disto, nos últimos trinta anos, houve um significativo crescimento da vida média da população brasileira. Os avanços na área médica e o surgimento de novas tecnologias possibilitaram um progressivo aumento na longevidade do ser humano, e cresce, a cada dia, o número de indivíduos que vivem mais de cem anos. A partir desse aumento, tornam-se mais atuais os questionamentos referentes às relações familiares entre pessoas de gerações e culturas diferentes. O fato de as pessoas terem uma perspectiva de vida maior não torna as relações familiares diferentes, mas imprimem maior complexidade a estas relações, uma vez que aumenta o número de pessoas interagindo. Contata-se que, cada vez mais, os avós tendem a ter participação mais ativa na família e na sociedade. Nem sempre a família consegue resolver satisfatoriamente seus conflitos, necessitando da ajuda de instituições que a orientem na educação dos filhos. Dentre estas, menciona-se a Escola de Pais do Brasil(EPB) cuja experiência de quarenta e nove anos tem contribuído para melhorar o relacionamento intergeracional dos pais que têm frequentado os seus círculos de estudo. Esta dissertação de mestrado estuda as relações intergeracionais da família contemporânea e analisa a evolução do pensamento da EPB sobre o tema. Para atingir os objetivos propostos, o método utilizado foi o da pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. A pesquisa bibliográfica teve como meta o levantamento das contribuições acadêmicas e culturais sobre o tema. Fez-se uma revisão de literatura concernente, o que ajudou a delimitar e definir o escopo do trabalho. Analisando documentos históricos da EPB, como atas, jornais, anais dos congressos e informativos, obtiveram-se elementos suficientes para entender sua história, explicitar seus objetivos e mostrar a evolução do seu pensamento sobre as relações intergeracionais das famílias contemporâneas / The family is a mutable organism which transform and is transformed by the society. By the adoption of determined rules and concepts it opens space to social changes. The contemporary family has crossed over deep modifications caused by, over all, factors suc. as: the woman professional insertion, the world-wide mass media, the complexity of intergerational relationship due to nuclear family weakness, the increasing number of divorces and remarriages. At the side this, in the last thirty years, there was a significant growing of medium life brazilian population. The medical area progress and the arrising of new technologies made possible a human being progressive longevity increasing, and grows up, at every day, the number of persons that live over hundred years. From this growth, become more actuals the quuestions concerning to the familiar relationship among persons of different generations and cultures. The fact of the persons had a greater life perspective not make different the familiar relationship, but make bigger the complexity of such relationship, since the number of interacting persons is increasing. Each more time the grandfathers are having a more active participation in the family and society. Not ever the family succeed in satisfactorily to solve their conflicts. It needs the institutions help to guide the children education. Among these, there is the Escola de Pais do Brasil(EPB) which during forty nine years has contributed to improve the parents intergenerational relationship that have followed its courses of study. This thesis (MA) examines the contemporary family intergerational relationship and analyse the EPB evolution thinking. To achieve the proposed objective , it was used the bibliographic and documental methods. The bibliographic research had as purpose the survey of academic and cultural contributions over the subject. It was done a concerning literature revision, which helped to delimit and define the work aim. By analysing the EPB historical documents, such as minutes, newspapers, congress annals and others, it was possible to obtain sufficient data to understanding its history, to explain its objectives and to show the EPB thinking evolution over the intergenerational relationship in the contemporary families.

This dissertation explores how family and marriage relationships vary according to the culture in which they occur. Based on the individualism/collectivism framework about cultural variations in familial beliefs across countries, I study three topics of family and marriage relationships across cultures. In the first study, I examine how 17 member countries of Organisation of Economic and Co-operation and Development (OECD) differ culturally in older adults' preference for family elder care. I find that older adults from countries with more traditional values that emphasize the importance of a strong parent-child tie are more likely to prefer family care rather than formal care than those from more secular-rational countries with less emphasis on the parent-child tie; the cultural difference gets smaller at a higher level of individual family income. In the second study, I select China as a representative of the collectivist culture, and look into how the collectivist culture and older parents' filial beliefs shape the intergenerational relationship in China. I find that patrilocal and patrilineal traditions are still prevail in China. A highly cohesive intergenerational relationship people idealize in the collectivist culture is more common between older parents and married sons, and least common between older parents and married daughters. In the third study, I compare an individualist society, the U.S., and China, a collectivist society to test whether marriage also isolates people from their informal social network in China as observed in the U.S. I find that marriage does not isolate but integrates people into their informal social network in China, while marriage isolate people in the U.S. The three studies present new evidence on how marriage and family experiences differ due to different cultural beliefs about family, and under what conditions the cultural influences are weakened or reinforced. / Ph. D. / People tend to think and behave according to their individual cultural beliefs and value system and influenced by the cultural environment they live in. Three studies in this dissertation examine how the macro cultural environment and individual beliefs about the family and family relationships influence 1) the preference for family elder care in 17 countries in Europe, North and South America, and East Asia; 2) the intergenerational relationship in China; and 3) the marriage effect on socializing with friends, neighbors, and relatives in the collectivist China and the individualist U.S. In the first study, I find that the preference for family elder care is stonger among older adults from more traditional countries that value family traditions and strong parent-child ties than those from countries with less emphasis on family traditions and the parent-child tie. The cultural influence gets weaker as older adults’ family income increases. In the second study, I find that intergenerational relationship is still very traditional in China. A highly cohesive relationship idealized in the collectivist culture is more common between older parents and their married sons, and least common between older adults and married daughters. In the third study, I find that, compared to the never married and the previously married, married Chinese do not socialize less often with friends, and tend to socialize more often with neighbors and relatives. However, married Americans socialize less often with all these three groups of people in their informal social network than the unmarried. All three studies present new evidence on how marriage and family experiences differ due to different cultural beliefs about family, and how the cultural influence would change according to individuals’ social conditions.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:47:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 fatima.pdf: 948998 bytes, checksum: 69c80469e146f8deeffcb58437a4f799 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-11-16 / This Master s thesis approaches the meaning of telling stories and the relationship that is established between elderly people and children participating in this activity, in public and private spaces. The study focuses on questions inherent in the aging process in our contemporary society, understanding that old age is not the final close of human existence, but a phase of discoveries and possibilities of participation and life enrichment. It also shows that intergenerational relationship is a pathway to culture preservation, considering culture as exchange of meanings and preservation of symbols, necessary for human survival. To carry out the qualitative research, eight accounts given by elderly storytellers were used. These storytellers act in day-care centers, schools, hospitals, libraries and communities. The storytellers oral accounts were analyzed, interpreted and compared with the four categories of analysis: aging and old age, intergenerational relationship, telling stories, and sociability. Based on this experience between elderly people and children, it is possible to understand that the meaning of the relationship is established through individual and collective memories, mediated by sociability, constituting a mutual education process, in a broad sense. It is concluded that in our western culture, values related to contact between old people and children point to crucial matters, such as: the pertinence of respect for wisdom preserved by the elderly and the construction of their dialogue with the new generations. / Esta dissertação de mestrado aborda a questão do significado de contar histórias e a relação que se estabelece entre idosos e crianças, participantes dessa atividade, em espaços públicos e privados. O trabalho procura enfocar as questões inerentes ao processo de envelhecimento em nossa sociedade contemporânea, entendendo que a velhice não constitui o fecho final da existência humana, mas uma fase de descobertas e possibilidades de participação e enriquecimento vivencial. Mostra, ainda, que o relacionamento intergeracional é um caminho para a preservação da cultura, compreendendo-se esta como a troca de significados e a preservação de símbolos, necessários à sobrevivência humana. Para a realização da pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, utilizamos oito depoimentos de idosos contadores de histórias que atuam em creches, escolas, hospitais, bibliotecas e comunidades. Analisamos e interpretamos as falas dos contadores de histórias, confrontando-as com as quatro categorias de análise: envelhecimento e velhice, relacionamento intergeracional, contar histórias e sociabilidade. A partir dessa experiência entre idosos e crianças, é possível compreender que o significado da relação se estabelece por intermédio das memórias individuais e coletivas, mediadas pela sociabilidade, constituindo-se em processo educativo mútuo, em sentido amplo. Conclui-se que, em nossa cultura ocidental, os valores relacionados ao contato entre velhos e crianças remetem a questões cruciais, tais como: a pertinência do respeito à sabedoria preservada pelos idosos e a construção de seu diálogo com as novas gerações.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:47:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leonice Aparecida Martins Sapucaia.pdf: 2094235 bytes, checksum: 142397f741a88bf464e0d463fe02e6ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-05 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The project investigates how ex-streets residents have become caregivers to elderly people, recived from the streets to the Missão Belém s house, an entity belonging to the Catholic Church, scenario of this study. The methodology of research was the qualitative approach, through a participative observation, containig as main instruments: the field journal and semi-structured interview with ten caregivers, about how the turned into elder people caregivers, difficulties on caring of them, orientation needs about care and the aging process. It was found that seven of the interviewed came to the institution to assume other functions such as monitors or cooks, and got involved in the care of the streer received elderliers, identifying themselves with the chore of taking care of them; six indicated difficulties about the caring process and 10 of the answers pointed to the need for guidelines to properly care for the elderly. Were also emphasized the importance of the changes that occur in this age groups, trying to demistify the old people image being only related to negative issues, as losses, illnesses and uselessness. The answers allow the reflection on who this individual that must be listened to and respected. The research concluded that the hosting houses are a family rearrangement in wich the intergenerational relashionship between the young and the elderly emerges: the care is essential to both sides. At the same time, seek to help those who, once unknown, learnerd to share feelings and emotions, srories, secrets and teachings. It can be observed that the care givem by the young to the elderly is a way to their own recovery in the fight against drugs, in the hope of regaining their families, citizenship and dignity / O trabalho investiga como ex-moradores em situação de rua tornaram-se cuidadores de pessoas idosas, acolhidas das ruas nas casas da Missão Belém, entidade pertencente à Igreja Católica, cenário deste estudo. A metodologia de pesquisa foi a abordagem qualitativa, por meio da observação participante, tendo como principais instrumentos o diário de campo e a entrevista semiestruturada, com dez cuidadores, sobre como se tornaram cuidadores dos idosos, dificuldades encontradas no cuidado aos idosos, necessidade de orientações sobre o cuidado e processo de envelhecimento. Verificou-se que sete dos entrevistados chegaram à instituição para assumir outras funções, como monitores ou cozinheiros, e se envolveram no cuidado aos idosos acolhidos das ruas, identificando-se com a tarefa de cuidar dos mesmos; seis indicaram alguma dificuldade no cuidado aos idosos e dez respostas assinalaram a exigência de orientações para cuidar adequadamente dos idosos. Ressaltou-se ainda a importância das mudanças que ocorrem nessa faixa etária, tentando desmistificar a imagem do velho somente relacionado a questões negativas, como perdas, doenças e inutilidade. As respostas permitem a reflexão sobre quem é aquele indivíduo e seu direito de escolha, pessoa que deve sempre ser ouvida e respeitada. A pesquisa concluiu que as casas de acolhimento são um rearranjo familiar nas quais emerge a relação intergeracional entre os cuidadores jovens e os idosos: os cuidados são imprescindíveis a ambos os lados. Ao mesmo tempo, procuram ajudar aqueles com quem, outrora desconhecidos, aprenderam a dividir sentimentos e emoções, histórias, segredos e ensinamentos. Observamos que o cuidado dispensado pelos jovens cuidadores aos idosos é um dos caminhos para a própria recuperação na luta contra as drogas, sob a esperança de reconquista da família, da cidadania e dignidade