The Home Renaissance Foundation held its 4th International and Interdisciplinary Conference on 16-17 November in London. The event aimed to discuss the vital role of the home in health and wellbeing, both for individuals and for society as a whole.

Participants from more than 15 countries gathered at the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine to discuss a variety of topics which ranged from the benefits of inter-generational interaction in the home to the power of healthcare professionals to promote healthy behaviour in their patients.

Noted speakers included Sir Harry Burns who spoke of the importance of a nurturing family as the basis for a successful life, and Baroness Sheila Hollins who emphasized the need to change paternalistic attitudes towards people with learning disabilities as “it’s fundamental that we all have a right to a family life and this includes children and adults with developmental learning difficulties”.

Professor Elizabeth Robb OBE gave an insightful talk on the importance of healthy family relationships as the foundation for a stable life, as “relationship education is incredibly important to prevent cycles of aggressive and violent behaviour”. Dr Timothy S. Harlan (Dr. Gourmet) from the USA emphasised the benefits of a Mediterranean diet and the advantages of preparing healthy food at home. Renata Kaczmarska of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs addressed the impact of family policies and the need to support parents in the home, including the thought-provoking finding that “grandparents who help care for their grandchildren have a 30% lower risk of mortality and better physical health than those who do not participate in giving care”.

These matters are especially relevant in a world that has seen rapid change and an increasing prevalence of mental health issues. Despite the great variety of topics discussed, a common theme emerged: the importance of a stable, safe home that provides emotional support, empathy and respect. The home is not simply the physical space where we live, but a complex concept that has an incalculable impact on our physical and emotional health and on society as a whole. A home should be safe, nurturing and valued, and governments have a huge responsibility to implement policies that support this.

Press Contact: 
Media Contact: Ángela de Miguel
Email: press@homerenaissancefoundation.org
Telephone: + 44 020 7490 3296
Video

Home Renaissance Foundation and its UK-based partner, Mothers at Home Matter, launched the results of the British Report of the Global Home Index at the House of Commons.

The guest speaker, Miriam González Durántez applauded the fact that a very substantial amount of our GDP is generated through the support network of the home but said “historically the home has been run by women who didn’t have any power in society. Their contribution has gone therefore unrecognised.”

Following the idea of British journalist Colin Brazier, of Sky News UK, the survey is a comparative study measuring perceptions on the work of the home in 20 countries.

According to the study, answered by over 9, 000 people worldwide, around 60% of participants strongly agreed that homemaking can teach skills applicable to other areas of life. However, at present few families appear to be regularly distributing tasks amongst themselves (15-25% of those surveyed).

One of the lessons to be learnt from the home study includes healthy eating. With almost half of participants claiming to routinely cook homemade meals, many clearly recognise that the home is a critical source of nutrition and paves the way for future dietary awareness. Miriam González relates strongly to this since she feels absolutely satisfied being a homemaker and having built her own home. Her greatest recognition comes from their boys and she joked:  “I am a Spanish Mum so I find myself doing the same things my mother did and with the same ruthlessness. My boys will recognise that, as far as they are concerned, no-one cooks as well as their Mum!”

One of the things that was discussed when the dialogue was opened was the meaning of success. “I am not more or less feminist for following my husband and leaving my job in Brussels because the decision was born from my freedom of choice”, Miriam González Durantez said.

According to Miriam González Durantez, the concept of success is changing. She would not be a successful woman if one side of her life failed. Both family and professional lives should come together to consider that it is a success. She recognises that her success comes not only from her effort and hard work but the environment where she grew up.

The research points out that the home must be considered in the design of future public and corporate policies. And it should serve as a reference point when considering the societal benefit of a new policy.

Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton, who hosted the event, confirmed that she and David Burrowes have lined up a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss future policy that puts the family first.

Press Contact: 
Media Contacts: Ángela de Miguel
Email: press@homerenaissancefoundation.org
Telephone: + 44 020 7490 3296

A group of experts and other invited guests were on hand to listen to speeches by Lord Best, President of the Local Government Association, and HRF chairman Bryan Sanderson CBE.

A presentation of ‘Bricks & Mortar Across Generations: A Think Piece on Intergenerational Living in the UK’ was made by HRF Research Coordinator Simca Simpson. Dr Samantha Callan then spoke as a respondent to the think piece.

Some of the issues raised by the study formed part of a discussion at the event, led by the veteran broadcaster and author Charles Handy who said his own experience of sharing a home with a younger generation – his daughter – informed his belief that it was an idea whose time had come.

“Norms are changing,” he said. “The cost of housing will bring us together, like it or not.” He said that, although many people were propelled into intergenerational living because of economic circumstances, others had realised that it had lots to offer. “It is a chance to share wisdom. I am shown how to use an iPad, they are shown how to play Scrabble!” He said intergenerational living should not be unduly romanticised. “To work best,” he said, “takes rules and a door bell.”

Like Mr Handy, the HRF chairman Bryan Sanderson CBE, also lives in a house that is home to several generations of the same family; grandparents, parents and grandchildren. He noted that Western societies could learn much from the models of intergenerational living taken for granted in the developing world. And he described the housing crisis and potential solutions like intergenerational living as “the most significant political issue of our time”.

Dr Callan drew attention to the example of Singapore, where intergenerational living is encouraged through the taxation system. She said that intergenerational living was vital if society was to avoid an epidemic of loneliness, while commenting that: “There have been massive changes in families – but not in the housing structures around them.” Dr Callan, a mother of teenaged boys, said that intergenerational living was no longer seen as a mark of failure. On the contrary “…it is increasingly seen as a sign of family strength for generations to live together.”

One of the delegates at the launch praised the HRF’s choice of subject and noted that intergenerational living was the subject of the next World Congress on Families.