The Drum Beat 150 - Voices on Ageing

THE TRENDS

1. In 2000, there were 600 million people aged 60 and over; there will be 1.2 billion by 2025 and 2 billion by 2050. Today, about 2/3 of all older people are living in the developing world; by 2025, it will be 75%. Women outlive men in virtually all societies: in very old age, the ratio of women/men is 2:1.

2. The UN has developed a Press Kit of information that includes facts & figures and articles on different aspects of ageing and the impact of ageing on other development issues.

COLLECTING INTERNATIONAL VOICES

3. 20 years ago, the 1st World Assembly on Ageing was held in Vienna. The purpose was to bring much-needed attention to the economic, psychosocial and healthcare concerns of the older person. As a result, the International Plan of Action, calling for humanitarian and developmental approaches to ageing, was developed. The General Assembly held the 2nd World Assembly in April 2002, in Madrid, in order to assess the progress made by Member States in implementing the Vienna Plan of Action. Several parallel events contributed additional opinion, suggestion and strategies for continued progress.

THE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE

4. The outcome of the Madrid Assembly included both a Political Declaration and a Plan of Action. The Plan of Action on Ageing 2002 calls for changes in attitudes, in national and international policies, and in community, corporate and organisational practices. The Plan’s recommendations for action are organised according to 3 priorities: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. Click here for more information.

5. "...Many of the major determinants of better health lie outside the health system. Knowledge. Clean environments. Access to basic services. Equitable societies. Fulfilled human rights. Good government. Enabling people to make decisions relevant to their lives, and to act on them..." - Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General, WHO. Click here for the full speech.

NGO PERSPECTIVE

6. The World NGO Forum on Ageing gave voice to close to 6,000 NGO representatives from 5 continents. Topics such as economic development and humanitarian aid, human rights, healthcare, housing, consumption, and other areas were discussed. The Report from this Forum addresses 10 main development issues as they relate to ageing, and states that "...the NGOs assembled in Madrid at the II World Forum on Ageing proclaim the need to build not only a society for all ages, but a society that pursues social justice and welfare without forgetting to place individuals and their dignity at the centre of its goals." Contact forumageing@servimedia.es

RESEARCHER, EDUCATOR & PROVIDER PERSPECTIVE

7. The Valencia Forum: An International Scientific Congress which took place April 1-4, 2002 provided a voice for researchers, educators and providers. The report from this Forum provides perspectives, reflections and advice from the global scientific, educator and practitioner gerontological community. Contact Valencia@flinders.edu.au

SOCIAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

8. UNRISD held a Public Meeting on "Ageing, Development and Social Protection" April 8-9 2002. Social scientists and gerontologists addressed the dynamics and challenges of population ageing in contexts of rapid social change, as well as in situations of social crisis. Others examined policy responses to population ageing.
Contact info@unrisd.org

GENDER PERSPECTIVE

9. Gender Aspects of Ageing - a website from INSTRAW, includes information, documents, events on gender and ageing issues. A discussion forum, with archived messages available, was based on a background document "Violence and Abuse in the Lives of Older Women: Is it Elder Abuse or Violence Against Women? Does It Make Any Difference?"

PROJECTS ADDRESSING AGEING

10. Literacy Programme - South Africa - elderly members of Durban expressed their frustration with their inability to read & write. "One person had signed an eviction order without knowing what it was," and others found themselves on the wrong bus or unable to use the telephone correctly. They also expressed the need to learn techniques enabling them to perform everyday tasks, and requested that their tuturs be older people, like themselves. What resulted was this 2 part programme. Contact hai@helpage.org

11. Circulos de Abuelos (Grandparent's Circles) - Cuba - A centrally planned social welfare system which relies almost entirely on elderly community members for their support & leadership. Part of the 'Circles' programme is having elder members take part in public discussions & school visits, where their wisdom is called upon to help with such challenges as "rebellious adolescents". Contact sidorenko@un.org

12. Joint Ballotting/Selection Scheme - Singapore - addresses the housing problem for the ageing population by introducing inter-generational co-residence housing programmes in addition to creating tax relief for those caring for elderly members of the community. Schools have also incorporated education ageing issues into their curriculum to "reinforce family standards & teach respect for older people". Contact sidorenko@un.org

13. WHO Global Embrace 2002 - this annual walk event promoting active ageing will be on Sept 29. The 1st Global Embrace took place in 1999, marking the International Year of Older Persons. Since then, it has been an event in more than 80 countries where over 1 million people walked each year on a designated day. Contact activeageing@who.int

More Projects available in - Programme Experiences - select to filter by "Ageing", click "submit".

MATERIALS

14. Participatory Communication to Strengthen the Role of Grandmothers in Child Health - Studies how most maternal and child health programmes focus on women of reproductive age and systematically exclude older women, who, in many societies, play a leading role in family health promotion. Presents a case study in which a participatory education and communication strategy was used to promote changes in community norms related to child health by strengthening the role of grandmothers.

15. Active Ageing: A Policy Framework [PDF] - Suggests that health providers and professionals must take a lead if we are to achieve the goal that healthy older persons remain a resource to their families, communities and economies, as stated in the WHO Brasilia Declaration on Ageing & Health in 1996.

16. Missing Voices: Views of Older Persons on Elder Abuse

"Respect is better than food and drink." [Older person, Lebanon]

"Older people are a big headache and a waste of scarce resources, the biggest favour you could do to me as an older people’s organisation is to get them out of my hospital." [Head of a hospital, Kenya]

WHO and the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse conducted a study in 8 countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, Lebanon and Sweden. It involved focus groups with both older persons in the community and primary health care workers, in order to establish components of elder abuse as identified by older people themselves and by those forming the primary health care teams.

Click here for full material [PDF].

17. Research Update - Ageing and AIDS in Africa [PDF] - Of the total number of children under the age of 15 who had lost their mothers or both parents to AIDS by 2000, 90% were in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of those infected with HIV are people in their economically active stages of life (15-49). It is grandparents who have to care for their sick or HIV-infected children and raise and support their orphaned grandchildren. In most cases, they provide this care with little or no state or other support.

More Materials...click here...

***

Our thanks to Silvia Perel Levin, WHO, for her assistance with this issue.

***

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

To reproduce any portion of The Drum Beat, see our policy.

To subscribe, click here.