Our relation to the Old

[Tim R]

What do you guys think about the relation that we as (more or less) younger people have towards the elderly in our societies? How important do you think this relationship is?

How does it look like when the relationship between the younger and older generation is healthy? How does this relationship dynamic change across the spiral development of individuals and society at large?  

In all societies across human history, the older generation was considered wise and respectable and younger people often came to them for life advice and wisdom, since this tends to develop naturally as you age.

This is not really how I feel our societies (in the West) relate to the old. We regard them as a sort of burden. Depending on the demography of your country, these dynamics change. Living in Germany, I'm sure to have a different relation to the elderly than someone who lives in let's say India, where most people aren't very old yet. 

So what can both young and old do in order to improve their relationship?