1 October is the International Day of Older Persons, a very special day for senior citizens right around the world.
This day aims to create awareness around the growing number of elderly people over the last couple of decades. Did you know that between 1950 and 2010, people’s life expectancy grew from 46 years to 68 years old? Currently, there are about 700 million people over the age of 60 and it’s predicted to be close to 2 billion by the year 2050. This means that by then, there will be more people over the age of 60 than there will be children.
We all know that growing old comes with its own set of challenges and changes. Energy levels decline, the body’s aches and pains start to take its toll and in some cases, diseases like Alzheimer or Parkinson set in. The elderly are more vulnerable and less mobile, not to mention the poverty they often have to face because of the lack of employment. As they grow older, many older folks find it harder to look after themselves or to get around. This is where we need to create awareness and compassion in younger generations to include, assist and empower the elderly and not to reject and neglect them.
Another big problem is the discrimination they face from younger people, regardless of the significant roles they’ve played in society as leaders, teachers, and guardians. The International Day of Older Persons attempts to bring attention to the need for suitable health provision, social care and volunteer work to assist older people. As their numbers grow bigger, so do their needs but the help, awareness, and resources are just not as freely available.
Theme for 2019: "The Journey to Age Equality"
The theme of the day for 2019 is to focus on finding ways to deal with current old age inequalities and to prevent it from continuing in the future. It aligns with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that acknowledges that development can only happen if people of all ages are included. By empowering the elderly in all scopes of development and including their on-going participation in social, economic and political life, it can reduce current imbalances.
It’s clear that we as a society need to pay more attention to the needs and challenges of our older generation. So on International Day for Older Persons make sure that you help and promote the development of a society that is open to people of all ages and where the elderly can still play a functional role.