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"We are appealing more and more a social gap. [...] In that kind of a situation people feel like they wanna, they need to be connected." (Sugi, 2013) Living together under one roof is becoming ever less common in bigger families. Many elderly people decide to live in a home when they are no longer able to get by on their own. On the other hand, many children spend most of the day in day care centres. In Japan and the US there are outstanding projects that aim at bringing together the young and the old. By means of various interviews, literature research and participatory observation both in Japan and Germany, this work approaches what constitutes such intergenerational projects, also from a conceptual perspective. It will be outlined in what way these institutions can be of use for the people involved and for society in general.

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Uta Rothermel (mediator, BA in Social Work) is currently manager of a NGO in Berlin. She has particularly dedicated herself to the challenges of aging society in Germany and its consequences for the health care and social services sector. This work is based on her Bachelor thesis.

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