International Approach

Update 15th November -

China an Ageing Nation
China’s young working population (between 15 and 35) swelled substantially in the early 1980s, giving the country what economists call a ‘demographic dividend’. The rise in the number of young workers — combined with moderate social welfare measures and result-oriented economic policies — helped China’s economy grow by about 8 per cent a year for the past two decades as youths rushed to fill factory jobs and then spent their incomes on goodies like motorcycles, mobile phones and even homes.Read more

Convention on the Rights of Older Persons
Speech by Sergei Zelenev, Chief, Social Integration Branch, DESA .Read more

Elderly Want Parliamentary Seat
In Uganda Elderly persons have asked President Yoweri Museveni to allow them be represented in Parliament.The chairperson of the national network for older persons, Cam Peter Ayo, said this during the international older persons day held at Kitatya Primary School in Wabwoko sub-county, Kayunga district, last week. Read here

Elders Have their Day under the Sun
Discussions are being held on the means to improve the living and working conditions of older persons, on developing a coordinated approach, protecting the rights of older persons and seeking the collaboration of other stakeholders as well as ways to support the Focal Point (FP) which was established to promote and protect the rights of older people in Africa.Know more

Proposal for a General Recommendation on Older Women
Human rights are inalienable and all women have the right to grow old with dignity. Older women must not be viewed as victims but recognised for the contribution that they have made and continue to make to the societies in which they live, the knowledge they possess and the strengths that they have.Read more

DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH: Indonesia
Indonesian family systems do not conform to the prevailing image of Asian families, the predominant arrangements being nuclear and bilateral, with an important matrilineal minority. This paper considers the strength of family ties in two communities, focussing particularly on inter-generational flows of support to and from older members.Read in detail

Sick, elderly Iraqis living on edge
Investment in health and geriatric care suffered under Saddam Hussein, who steered government revenues to the security forces and his own pockets even as the country labored under more than a decade of harsh international sanctions.Read more

 

Update 1st october -

Ageism in America
Nearly 150 years later, in twenty-first-century America, older people are still being rendered invisible.Instances of this invisibility occurred in the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when a person’s class (impoverished) and race (black) were dominating factors in survival. Older persons in their own homes and in nursing homes were often abandoned. Older women, in particular, experience the impact of ageism. Living longer and alone and making up some 80 percent of the residents of nursing homes, they are more vulnerable than men to abuse and poverty.Read More

Living and Caring? An Investigation of the Experiences of Older Carers
In 2004, 10 per cent of individuals aged 52 and over had provided active provision of care to someone in the last week and so, for the purpose of this study, were defined as carers. Of these, 39 per cent were caring for a spouse, 11 per cent for a child, 34 per cent for a parent or parent in-law and 24 per cent for a relative, friend or other person. Those caring for a spouse had an average age of 68.4 (men) and 67.2 (women), and the majority were found to care only for that person (86.5 per cent).Read More

Health Care Voucher Scheme for the Elderly
Under the scheme, members of the public aged 70 or above and holding a valid Hong Kong Identity Card or a Valid Certificate of Exemption would be given annually five health care vouchers worth $50 each to partially subsidise primary medical care services they purchase from private sector.Read More

New Plan for Seniors Outlined
Healthy Living and Sport Minister Mary Polak acknowledged Friday the province needs to improve support for seniors who need help to continue living at home, rather than being forced into long-term care.Read More

International Year of Older Persons
A 'Society for All Ages' honours traditional leadership role of elders, Secretary-General says, opening International Year of Older Persons in 1999.Read More

 

Update 1st September

Age-Friendly Rural and Remote Communities: A Guide
In September 2006, the Federal/Provincial/Territorial (F/P/T) Ministers Responsible for Seniors endorsed the Age-Friendly Rural/Remote Communities Initiative (AFRRCI) in Canada. Read More

Ageing Issues in Africa: A Summary
It is now common knowledge that the population of older people worldwide is increasing dramatically.Whereas there were only 200 million of them in 1950, projections are that they will shoot to 2 billion by 2050. Most fascinating about that figure is that the number of older people will, for the first time in the history of mankind, be more than children under the age of 14 years. Read More

Aging Population Doesn’t Mean More Care in CBRM
Cape Breton’s continuing care sector is going to get much busier over the coming years as the region braces itself against an aging population. However, private-for-profit care home operators in the province say that unless the government is willing to subsidize client costs, they will not be setting up shop on the Island anytime in the near future. Read More about Australia

African Union Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing
Know More

Older Citizens Monitoring The Experience of Bangladesh
The Older Citizens Monitoring (OCM) project was initially a three year pilot project implemented by HelpAge International .The aim of this project was to ensure that the commitments to inclusion of disadvantaged older people in the benefits of development made at the UN Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid were translated into specific public policies and programmes in developing countries. Read More

A generation in transition: East and Central Europe
The current generation of people over 50 years of age in East and Central Europe has been cruelly disappointed and is empowered. Basic services are no longer adequate and the culture is un supportive of older people’s needs. What is needed is an innovative approach. Part of this approach requires that the state recognize and support the analyses and responses of older people themselves to the situation, as well as civil society initiatives. Read More

Guide to the National Implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), adopted in 2002, constitutes a key global policy document concerned with the implications of population ageing and with the well-being and active participation of older persons at all levels. The present Guide offers national policy makers practical suggestions for the implementation of MIPAA. Read More

HEALTH OF OLDER PERSONS, INCLUDING ACTIVE AND HEALTHY AGING: REGIONAL STRATEGY
PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION Read More

Primary healthcare for older people in Asia
This document was prepared by the HelpAge International network in Asia/Pacific and it summarises the perceptions of older people and health service providers in five countries of the region. Its purpose is to generate discussion and by no means does it represent a scientific study of the primary health sector at a given time. Nonetheless, it is important to note how the needs, gaps and Shortcomings are highlighted by the older people themselves. Read More

Update 1st August

Age and security
‘There is no subject of greater importance than the ageing of the population and the provision of social protection for older people. It affects the very nature of our societies and concerns not only older people, but all sections of the population.’Read More

MDGs must target poorest say older people
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1 commit the world to halving Extreme poverty by 2015. The prime candidates for this assistance should be the very poorest, including older people, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and the very young. While the MDGs have specific targets on children and youth they are silent on issues of age, ethnicity and disability. As a result, these invisible groups are unlikely to benefit from the global effort to eradicate poverty. 100 million older people2 live on less than a dollar a day3 and 80 per cent of older people in developing countries have no regular income.Read More

Update 1st July -

Americans Living Longer, A Federal Report
Average life expectancy continues to increase, and today’s older Americans enjoy better health and financial security than any previous generation. However, rates of gain are inconsistent between the genders and across age brackets, income levels and racial and ethnic groups. Some critical disparities also exist between older Americans and older people in other industrialized countries. These and other trends are reported in Older Americans 2008: Key Indicators of Well-Being, a unique, comprehensive look at aging in the United States from the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. Read More

THE MADRID INTERNATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION ON AGEING: GUIDING FRAMEWORK AND TOOLKIT
This Guiding Framework was created to assist countries to give effect to the commitments made at the Second World Assembly on Ageing in Madrid in 2002. The Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing provided a fresh perspective on the situation of older persons and presented a new global agenda to address issues of ageing. In acknowledging the demographic revolution taking place in countries all over the world, the Plan of Action called for a new approach to ageing policies and programmes that would promote a society for all ages. This framework provides information and suggestions about how to go about creating those policies and programmes.Read in Detail

WHO’s Campaign for Active Ageing
The Global Embrace is a worldwide intergenerational walk event that takes place annually around the International Day of Older Persons, 1 October.Read More

Why Population Aging Matters
People are living longer and, in some parts of the world, healthier lives. This represents one of the crowning achievements of the last century but also a significant challenge. Longer lives must be planned for. Societal aging may affect economic growth and many other issues, including the sustainability of families, the ability of states and communities to provide resources for older citizens, and international relations. The Global Burden of Disease, a study conducted by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, with partial support from the U.S. National Institute on Aging, predicts a very large increase in disability caused by increases in age-related chronic disease in all regions of the world.Read in Detail

Update 15th May -

AGEING IN ASIA: A RAPID APPRAISAL
Worldwide, the emphasis of efforts aimed at helping older people is shifting. It is moving away from a welfare approach to a development approach that makes the elderly active participants in programs to help them live less poverty stricken, healthier and more socially supported lives. This paper proposes to take that participatory approach one step farther: enlisting older people to help measure the impact of those programs. It describes a “bottom up” Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) system and the Rapid Appraisal Methodology (RAM) on which it is based.Read in Detail

HelpAge International targets 2005-2010
This paper sets out HelpAge International’s ambitions for 2005-2010. It is organised in eight ‘themes’ to provide a structure for HelpAge International to organise & monitor its work. It also recognised that there are important relationships between these themes. For eg. an older person’s economic security is often dependent on their ability to access a social pension and appropriate healthcare. Our challenge is not only to achieve the aims set out in the eight themes, but also to improve our understanding of how the themes link with each other, as described to us by older people and those with whom we work.Read More

 

In this section we have tried to present different International approach towards Ageing. Here we have also put forward UN and WHO approach towards ageing. To know more click on Top
We also intend to present Ageing aspect in different countries/continent in future.

Following are some Interesting documents on Ageing:

The Ageing Process
This document provides basic information about the processes that occur throughout life, and particularly in the later years, that are considered normal aging. It also discusses common illnesses in later life and the effects of medications. Ombudsmen must be able to work with older individuals and avoid stereotypes. Ombudsmen should be alert to the difference between the effects of normal aging and the results of diseases that afflict some elderly persons. Read more

Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002
The International Plan of Action on Ageing, 1 adopted at the first World Assembly on Ageing in Vienna, has guided the course of thinking and action on ageing over the past 20 years, as crucial policies and initiatives evolved. Issues of human rights for older persons were taken up in 1991 in the formulation of the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, 2 which provided guidance in the areas of independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity. Read More

Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing Implementation and Follow-up
This gives insight on UN role and action on Ageing, Read more

International Perspectives on Care for Older Adults
As aging populations increase throughout the world, societies are having to examine the way in which they care for their frail senior citizens.
Globally, nations are grappling with how best to deliver care within the changes and strictures of economic costs and productivity, health provision care and costs, cultural and ethnic differences and traditions, changes in the way societies view their elderly and the increasing political voice that older adults have in planning their futures. Read More

National Service Framework for Older People :UK
Just like the rest of us, older people want to enjoy good health and remain independent for as long as possible. As people get older remaining independent often depends on health and social care services being effective enough to support them. Read More

Various International Initiatives
As the name suggest it contains International Initiatives towards Ageing, Read More

International Institute on Ageing MALTA
Malta was first to raise the question of Ageing as a matter of international concern at the United Nations in 1968. Eventually in 1979 the General Assembly agreed to call a World Assembly on Aging in 1982. In its Resolution 37/51 it recommended inter-alia the promotion of training and research, as well as the exchange of information and knowledge in order to provide an international basis for social policies and action. It unanimously, and without reservation, adopted the Vienna International Plan of Action on Aging which remains at the cornerstone of worldwide policy on Ageing. Read More

Old Age Care in France, personal experience
A clinical psychologist working with community social center for elders 60+. Read Ms Hendi Lingiah: Presentation at NISD-ARDSI workshop

Please click on the additional links UN and WHO

Please Click here for Important links over International Ageing

Please Click here to download Acrobat Reader 8.1 to view files in pdf format