Early experiences with grandparents provide most people with their first personal model of ageing. In times of rapid technological and social change, these models may provide little relevant information about specific social roles. But our personal models of ageing still provide us with a sense of the individual characteristics of elders. Positive experiences with ageing persons create more positive images for later life. Social generations .
Most social interactions are multigenerational.
Traditions of family unity and responsibility across the generations characterize traditional as well as modern societies. Within different societies these traditions are manifested in very different ways, but in all societies the most support for all generations comes from within the family unit. Even in more economically stable families, when there is a conflict between the resource needs of the younger and the older generations, families tend to give priority to children and youth. In many societies, grandparents provide essential childcare, which enables the parental generation to be economically productive. Recently the phenomenon of grandparents caring for grandchildren has expanded as A1DS and drug epidemics have debilitated parental generations in many parts of the world.