Elderly Retirement Rights and Status in European History

Often when I think of the elderly in our midst I think of a large bare-branched tree standing against a winter sky. The more grizzled its trunk, the more twisted its branches -- the more of a story that tree has to tell. While I only boast 27 years, I have a soft spot in my heart for the elderly that surround me as neighbors and even friends. For they have experienced what I have not and come out survivors. So, today I would like to reflect historically on one of their favorite topics -- Retirement rights and status.

While there are some migratory civilizations who left their sick and elderly behind as they traveled to their next destination, historically Europeans honored their elderly. A sense of family and social responsibility was much stronger than it has been in the past century. I believe one of the main reason society's attitude toward the aged has changed is due to an increase in life expectancy. For the majority of our history, human life expectancy has been short. Most families did not face many of the elderly issues that are part of society today because most people died before they reached an age where they could no longer work. Of course, there were elderly who needed to be cared for but the number of elderly has been steadily increasing as life expectancy is lengthened by the medical profession. Another attitude change has been that the younger generation does not see the elderly as a necessary resource as we have moved from an oral to a literate history. I personally find this a tragedy. For the elderly contain a repository of knowledge and experience that goes beyond the written word of some historian. Historically, the elderly passed on heritage and history. Therefore, the attitude of honor, respect and responsibility towards the elderly was much stronger in past centuries. Still the elderly often experienced similar modern day difficulties of aging -- isolation, a sense of helplessness and decreased authority

But how were the elderly taken care of historically? For the aristocracy there were few negative side effects to aging except the nuisance of a debilitating body. They were able to maintain most of their authority until their death. They had servants, retainers, family and armies who could continue to carry out duties. On the other hand, for those who could not rely on the service of others, aging presented some real problems. A European peasant or farmer who lost his ability to labor on his land productively would enter into a legal agreement with his heir. This agreement, often called an "old person's portion," passed the farm onto a new master who would provide the old farmer, his wife and any minor children with food, accommodation and other agreements. Usually, the farmer stayed in the household or in a small house elsewhere on the property until his death. While this arrangement could cause isolation and a sense of helplessness, the elderly were cared for by those they had raised as family.

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