The first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, established by Pope Francis for the fourth Sunday of July will be held this Sunday, July 25.
In Italy, there are 12 million grandparents. “During the pandemic their support to families grew even stronger, even risking contagion.” Elders continued to take care of their grandchildren, dedicating on average 25.8 hours a week to them. Moreover, they provided financial support to the families of their children, when they lost jobs or just couldn’t make ends meet.
During the summer of 2020, 64.9% of grandparents took care of their grandchildren. One out of every four did so for over a month (23.1%), 14.3% for 3-4 weeks and 17.3% for 1-2 weeks. Over two thirds of elders saved money to economically support their children’s families. (Source: Centro Studi Senior Italia FederAnziani).
In the video message published on June 22, the pope admonished that the pandemic was “an unexpected and furious storm, a hard trial affecting all of our lives, but one that especially struck us elders.”
For the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Alberto Sordi Association has organised a celebration of elders because “elders represent our memory, the roots of peoples, the link between generations, a wealth to treasure, a true gift who richness we often forget.”
The celebration will be held on Sunday, July 25 at the Rome Campus Bio-Medico University (Via Alvaro del Portillo). All the protagonists of the “Day Care Centre at Home” Project will also participate [see news: Day Care Centre on Zoom]. Cecilia Stajano [@CStajano], Community Innovation Manager, will participate on behalf of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
