No Country for Old Men? Italian Families Facing the Challenges of an Aging Society

The paper illustrates the Italian situation with regard to ageing and the living conditions of the elderly according to a relational family perspective. The paper will therefore attempt to frame the ageing phenomenon within a family context and point out the advantages of this approach for a sociological interpretation of an extremely complex factor the consequences of which lead to problem scenarios. Relevant data from recent official sources will be then presented and contextualized within family relationships, with a view to providing an accurate representation of the changes presently undergone by family and society in Italy, and identifying forms of support to inter-generational relationships, crucial for the development of social capital and cohesion.