Old age care

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

A while ago it seems there was a discussion about children taking care of old folks and I can't remember the term for it - syttning... I'd like to explain it to someone but can't find a reference to it anywhere. Does anyone have a clue?

[Jaska Sarell Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Jaska Sarell]

sytning

http://finlander.genealogia.fi/sfhsw...ex.php/Sytning

Jaska

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

Sytning...

Thanks, Jaska. Too bad it isn't in English so I could send it to them. I don't have time to translate it for them..

[Jaska Sarell Registered Find all posts View Profile Close Jaska Sarell]

Couldn't find anything in English, but found that German word Altenteil means quite the same, and several English explanations can be found in the net.

Jaska

[sune Registered Find all posts View Profile Close sune]

The word is sytning. In the not so olden times the farmer, when he grew too old to farm, gave his farm to his heir. In compensation they made a contract according to which the old farmer was allowed to live on the farm, often in a separate house with his wife. In addition he got a certain amount of foodstuff like potatoes, corn, meat fish and so on and perhaps some pieces of clothing each year. These contracts were very exact. Some sytning contracts were in effect still in the 1970ies.

Sune

[June Pelo Senior Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close June Pelo]

Sytning

Thanks Jaska and Sune. It's a good explanation.