The 6 American Generations...Part 1

What are the characteristics of the people we visit? It is possible to paint with huge brush and stereotype people. That’s not my purpose. Instead, I think it helps to know what might be important to persons of various American generations. There are 6 distinct American generations that we serve in hospice. Let’s look at them and discover a bit more of who it is that we are serving and what characteristics make them who they are. The Great Generation These folks were born between the years of 1901-1926. The term ‘Great’ typifies the following: • Their Depression was the Great One • Their War was the Great One • Their Work Ethic remains Great • Their Civic Pride, Patriotism, and Duty remain Great • Their Personal Morality and Standards of Right and Wrong are Great • Their Loyalty to jobs, family, community, schools is Great • Their Grit in having to grow up without refrigeration, A/C, and electricity is Great. • Their motto: “Use it up, fix it up, make it do, or do without” is Great • The view of money and debt is Great • Can you think of other characteristics of this generation that could be listed here as Great? • What do you think would be a good way to connect with a patient from this generation? • Are there topics you think would be wise to steer clear of? • What role do you think faith played in their lives? What about in their faith community? In tomorrow’s post, we will examine the Baby Boomer Generation.