International Day of Older Persons

Today, as the world observes International Day of Older Persons, themed “Digital Equality for all Ages”, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres is urging that persons stay connected with loved ones, attend a religious service, and take a stance. However, all of these actions and many more are increasingly carried out online, especially as individuals and communities grapple with restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guterres said: “older persons have often been left more isolated during the pandemic. They are also at greater risk of suffering from the rising threat of cybercrime. While taking all possible measures to hold to account those unscrupulous criminals preying on older persons, we must also work to strengthen the digital skills of the elderly, as an important defence and means to improve their wellbeing.”
We agree that older persons, as he said in his message for the day, “are far more than a vulnerable group; they are a source of knowledge, experience, and rich contributions to our collective progress.”
Last December, the World Health Organization (WHO) published its Baseline Report for the Decade of Healthy Ageing, which included useful insights into the status of the world’s older populations, and what health authorities, policymakers and international development partners could do in order to ensure this group of people is not left behind.
According to the report, at least 14 per cent of all people aged 60 years and over – more than 142 million people – are currently unable to meet all their basic daily needs. The report brings together data available for measuring healthy ageing, defined by WHO as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age”.
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus notes that humans now live longer than at any time in history. “But adding more years to life can be a mixed blessing if it is not accompanied by adding more life to years.”
He said the Baseline Report for the Decade of Healthy Ageing has the potential to transform the way policy-makers and multiple service-providers engage with older adults. The report also discusses what is needed to promote collaboration and better measure progress towards healthy ageing.
WHO says that optimising “functional ability” is the goal of the Decade of Healthy Ageing, which began in 2021 and addresses five interrelated abilities that all older people should enjoy: the ability to meet basic needs; to continue to learn and make decisions; to be mobile; to build and maintain relationships; and to contribute to society.
The Baseline Report presents the experience of countries which have been successful in starting healthy ageing initiatives in each of these areas, such as Ireland, Mexico and Vietnam. It also stresses that older adults must be engaged throughout.
According to the report, only one-quarter of countries around the world are compiling comparable data which can be used to monitor global progress towards healthy ageing.
It should be stated that the Caribbean has been recognised as having one of the fastest-growing older populations in the developing world. This certainly poses its own challenges, and Governments and other actors would be required to take the necessary measures to ensure that this segment of the population leads healthier and more productive lives.
There is no doubt that among the more pressing issues affecting older persons are health concerns and the quality of care being provided to them on a daily basis. It is therefore crucial for Governments to put in place systems which would allow for older persons to obtain the health services they need.
WHO’s new Guidelines on Integrated Care for Older People recommend ways community-based services can help prevent, slow, or reverse declines in physical and mental capacities among older people. The guidelines also require health and social care providers to coordinate their services around the needs of older people through approaches such as comprehensive assessment and care plans.
Guterres called on this year’s International Day of Older Persons for more inclusive policies, strategies, and actions to achieve digital equality for people of all ages.