International Day of Older Persons

The United Nations also approved Eighteen Principles for the well being of Older Persons, organised into five clusters: Independence, Participation, Care, Self-fulfilment and Dignity.

The Independence Principles state that older persons need access to basic services and care, opportunities to work or make income, ability to influence the pace of withdrawal from the labour force, access to education and training opportunities, safe living environments and support to reside at home for as long as possible.

The Participation Principles address decision-making, dissemination of knowledge, community service and the formation of movements or associations of older persons.

The Care Principles address issues of family and community care, access to health, social and legal services, and matters pertaining to institutional care.

The Self-fulfilment Principles call for older persons to have opportunities for full development of their potential and access to educational, cultural, spiritual and recreational resources of society.

The Dignity Principles address issues related to exploitation, physical or mental abuse, fair treatment, being valued independently of economic contribution.

The translation of the Principles into reality will require initiative on the part of older persons and the establishment of an enabling environment by the rest of society.

Promotion of those Principles is the overall objective of the Year.

Women have a particular stake in ensuring that the International Plan of Action on Ageing, approved in 1982 is implemented. Women have higher life expectancies, often five to eights years more than men and the majority of older persons (55%) are women. Consequently, many women find themselves without partners in their old age. While 79% of older men are married, the corresponding figure for women in 43%.

Common myths about ageing marginalise older people and portray them as burdens on the society. Contrary to popular belief, older people contribute heavily to society, working in paid and unpaid jobs, providing shelter, food and education to many children, caring for grandchildren, ailing spouses or other relatives and playing an active part in community life.

Older people are "Doors to the Past and Windows to the Future". The vast reservoir of resources they represent should not go untapped, since continued marginalisation impoverishes our societies.

The International Year provides us an opportunity to gain a better understanding about what older people have to offer, the challenges they face and how we can address them. It can also help us better plan for our own senior years. We can begin by eliminating age discrimination, improving access to adequate health care for the elderly and creating learning programmes to help older people find employment.

One of the greatest successes of the 20th Century is the increased longevity of the populations. The necessary planning must be done to accommodate this triumph in the new Millennium.