Inter-generational Conversations

Across generations, families are stepping into new roles—planning, caregiving, and leading networks of support. These conversations can be practical, tender, and transformative all at once. They help us prepare for the future, yes—but they also strengthen the relationships that sustain us right now.

Here are some starting points that families and networks have found helpful:

1. What are your dreams for your adult family members?

2. What has worked—and what hasn’t—in planning and supporting them in the past?

3. Who will hold which roles and responsibilities as trustees, powers of attorney, representatives, and executors?

4. Where is all the key information kept (documents, passwords, door codes, house keys)?

5. As your family members age, what kinds of supports could help?

6. What are your end-of-life wishes, and what are your adult family members’ care and celebration wishes?

7. On the day you pass away, what will your family members need?

8. What parts of your family culture are important to maintain?

9. As the next generation, do you have your own affairs in order—and how can we help?

10. What’s outstanding, and how can the next generations help?

These questions open space for something more enduring than any plan on paper: the weaving of relationships that form a personal support network. A strong network—made up of family, friends, neighbours, and allies—ensures that love and responsibility are shared across generations. It allows stories, traditions, and roles to evolve without being lost.

Networks are not inherited—they are cultivated. Inter-generational conversations invite each person to take part in that growing: to listen deeply, to pass along wisdom, and to create new forms of connection that fit the next season of life.

Behind each of these practical questions is an invitation to imagine together:

Who will walk alongside the people we love?

How can care be shared rather than carried by one?

What does continuity of relationship look like in our family?

When we approach these conversations through the lens of a personal support network, planning becomes less about protection and more about belonging. We’re not simply preparing for endings—we’re building the foundation for enduring connection.

Have thoughts or experiences to share?

We’d love to hear how your family or network is engaging in inter-generational conversations.