Is intergenerational living a term you are familiar with? Or have you heard about it and are curious? Read on for an explanation of this rapidly expanding concept, and some practical advice on living with extended family.
What Is Intergenerational Living?
Although intergenerational living is a very old concept and is completely normal in some places such as East Asia, the concept is perhaps a more familiar to those living in the West. Intergenerational living simply means living in a bigger family group at the same property, or at least on the same land.
As an example, an intergenerational family may look like a couple, their children, and then one of the adults’ parents, or maybe even both. So, you have three generations living in the same place. That’s a common arrangement but you may find arrangements where great grandparents live with great grandchildren, an older aunt, even a good family friend. It’s essentially more people living in a household than what is commonly seen in the UK – two parents and their children.
In the UK, we tend to live one generation per household – you move out of your parents’ house, your children grow up and start their own households etc. But in many parts of the world, having your parents come to live with you when they are older, or other older dependant relatives, is a very normal concept.
What Is Changing In The UK?
The concept of intergenerational living has become more popular in the UK over the last decade for several reasons.
The cost of care in some areas has become really expensive and for families that struggle to meet care costs, intergenerational living is just a practical solution. Some people may also prefer to have their parents live with them rather than in a care home.
Additionally, we have also seen adult children staying at home for longer or returning home to live with parents. Due to the lack of affordable housing in the UK, more young people have struggled to get on the housing ladder. Rental properties are also becoming increasingly scarce.
A family may also have other dependents or people they want to live with them, a relative with a disability for example.
Families are becoming increasingly diverse in the UK, sometimes through choice and sometimes through necessity. Either way, bigger families living at the same address have become more commonplace.
Benefits & Challenges Of Intergenerational Living
Living with a large family under one roof comes with pros and cons, as anyone with a large family can testify to!
Having an ageing parent or parents living with you can be of great benefit to you, your children, and your parents. Grandparents can help with childcare, your children get to see their grandparents more often, and you get to be near your parents when they also need help and support.
Having adult children at home can also have mutual benefits for both parents and their children. Although this arrangement may be temporary for some people, there are an increasing number of families that choose to stay living together.
The challenges that come from intergenerational living stem from the average property size in the UK. Most people live in small or modest houses in the UK, which can make intergenerational living tricky.
For some families, an extension may be an option or a separate so-called ‘granny flat’. A rising number of people are installing garden rooms or ‘granny annexes’ too. These self-contained prefabricated mini houses have everything a person would need for comfortable living including a bathroom and kitchen. The important part is that various models can comfortably fit in the average British back garden!
What do you think? Is intergenerational living something you would consider for your family?
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
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