Jesper Juul and the sandwich generation: our topics in December
Dear reader
The flight and hotel were booked and the trip to Denmark at the beginning of August was firmly planned. But things turned out differently: «Jesper Juul was hospitalised for four weeks. His state of health is unstable,
unstable,» Caroline Märki from familylab wrote to me on 24 June. «He feels too weak to see you for an interview.» What few people know: Jesper Juul, the
the most important family therapist in Europe and author of numerous counselling books, has been
has been seriously ill for four years and his mobility is severely restricted.
The fact that we are nevertheless able to present an exclusive interview with Jesper Juul in this issue
in this issue is mainly thanks to Caroline Märki. She visited Jesper Juul at his home in Odder on the evening of 7 August as part of a familylab seminar in Denmark. For two hours, she was able to ask him some of the questions that my colleague
colleague Evelin Hartmann and I had compiled. Juul later answered a few more questions in writing. How Jesper Juul lives, why he repeatedly provokes parents with his
his theories - and what he dreams of: the big interview.
Our fundraising campaign «A guide dog for Joel» continues. Almost half of the money needed has now been raised. The search for a suitable Labrador is complex and time-consuming. In February 2018, Joel will meet with several assistance dogs and their trainers. This will show which dog is best suited to be Joel's companion. We will keep you informed about our fundraising campaign (incl. donation barometer) on our website and at www.elternsein.ch. On behalf of the Bettschen family, thank you very much for your support.
«In principle, only one thing matters: Letting children experience that they have a constructive role in their parents' lives and have enriched them since birth.»
Jesper Juul (from: Family Calendar 2017)
The other day, a colleague wrote to me: «I'm sorry I missed last week! My father-in-law is still in intensive care and we don't know what will happen next. Today we're taking my mother-in-law to a temporary care centre, she's struggling to be alone and, to make matters worse, she's had a fall. We now have to organise the next few days. I don't know how that's going to work with my job and family at the same time!»
My colleague is not alone in her balancing act between her job, responsibility for her own children and caring for her parents. Around 220,000 people in Switzerland care for or look after relatives inside or outside their own household. In our dossier «Sandwich generation», we describe the extent to which they reach the limits of their resilience and what support they urgently need.
I hope you enjoy reading this double issue. Our next issue will be published on 6 February 2018 and, as always, you will find selected stories from our magazine and texts that we only publish online on this website.
Yours sincerely, Nik Niethammer
