International Day of Older Persons

CARL SARGEANT AM JOINS UNITED NATIONS IN CELEBRATING OLDER PEOPLE

October 1st is the Annual United Nation’s International Day of Older Persons.Mr Sargeant said: “The International Day of Older Persons has been observed by the United Nations on October 1st since 1990. It is an important opportunity for us to consider the major contribution that older people make in our lives, and to celebrate them. “The world is getting older. In the next 50 years, the number of older persons on our planet will nearly quadruple, growing from about 600 million to almost 2 billion senior citizens. Today, one in every ten is 60 years and older. By 2050, one out of every five will be an older person, and by 2150, one third of the people in the world are expected to be 60 years of age or older.
”In our fast ageing world, older men and women will increasingly play a critical role - through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force.
”Senior citizens make major contributions to society. For instance, throughout Africa and elsewhere - millions of adult AIDS patients are cared for at home by their parents. On their death, orphaned children left behind (currently, 14 million under the age of 15 in African countries alone) are mainly looked after by their grandparents.
”It is not only in developing countries that older persons' role in development is critical. In Alyn and Deeside, for example, there are many older people who are important care-givers to their families, and key volunteers within our communities.
“Such contributions to development can only be ensured if older persons enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place. In the Assembly we are trying to help people age well and stay active through our landmark Strategy for Older People in Wales, initiatives such as free swimming and free bus passes, and our ground-breaking Minister for Older People.”