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Rural Aging Issues
around the World
Articles in
Arabic | Chinese
| French | Russian |
Spanish
Africa
Zambia: Mobile Hospitals Good (August 12, 2010)
Former health minister Nkandu Luo has said the initiative by the government to buy mobile hospitals will benefit the country and has called for training more health personnel to manage them. Times of Zambia research has shown that mobile hospitals have in their various forms worked well in developing countries where health services are not easily accessed. This will increase access to medical care for older persons, especially those living in rural parts of the country.
Angola: Over 800 Elderly Get Social Services Department Aid (July 5, 2010)
A total of 8,950 older persons in rural communities and retirement homes in the Central Province of Kwanza Sul are receiving regular assistance from the Department of the Ministry of Social Welfare under the government’s “Home Basket” program for vulnerable groups. The Welfare Ministry serves five vulnerable groups: older persons, children, people who have disabilities, refugees and returnees.
Ethiopia: When the Rains Don't Come on Time (April 22, 2010)
Rain rules the lives and well-being of rural inhabitants in most developing countries. It determines whether they will have enough to eat, be able to provide basic necessities for life and earn a livelihood. Climate change has made rainfall more erratic in many parts of the world.
Somalia: Hujale
Jama, "I Never Thought I Would Depend on Anyone But Look at Me Now" (March 2, 2010)
(Article also available in Arabic)
Prolonged and persistent droughts have drastically changed the fortunes of 80 year old Hujale
Jama. Originally from a village 480km east of Bosasso, the commercial capital of the self-declared autonomous state of
Puntland, Jama was once financially secure. The droughts have slowly decimated his livestock and today he lives with relatives in Bosasso without any cattle.
Kenya: A Moment with Dandora Women Care Givers (March 26, 2009)
Damaris Wanjiku, 63 years old and a widow, has not only continued to take care of her children but their children as well.
Dandora, a dumping site for Nairobi, is a mixture of shanty and decent houses. Its over 600,000 habitants are mainly jobless and have little formal education. Most of the caregivers here are 50 years or older. Because many of the grandparents are old and weak, some orphaned grandchildren tend to live without direction and fall into the trap of HIV/AIDS. Many older people dealing with HIV have to meet extra expenses such as health care, school fees and burial costs despite having no regular income.
Americas & Caribbean
Canada: Access to Rheumatoid Arthritis Specialists an Issue (July 6, 2010)
Nearly 60 percent of Ontario residents with rheumatoid arthritis do not receive timely access to specialists, according to a new report, even though powerful drugs are now available to treat the condition and doctors know early treatment is critical. Because Canada is running short of rheumatologists across the country, people in remote or rural parts of the province may not have access to the specialist they need.
Ecuador: Older Adults Will Be Assisted in the Province of Chimborazo (March 23, 2010)
(Article in Spanish)
The Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) is implementing a project to assist older adults (65 years and older) in the Chimborazo Province. The Gerontology Process of MIES seeks to provide food and medicine to at least 60 older persons from the community who live in poverty. In addition, the project has created recreational workshops where older adults learn painting and drawing and can be more socially involved in their community.
Argentina: Mass Gathering of Older Adults (March 8, 2010)
(Article in Spanish)
More than 200 older persons from the Patagonia region attended a mass gathering to celebrate the success of the program “Old age in the Coast and Mountain Range.” This program was launched under the Law of Integral Protection and Promotion of the Older Adult to promote social tourism among the older population. The main objective is to reach out to elderly in rural areas and help them participate in sharing games and rides, make new friends, and experience valuable cultural and economic resources.
Bolivia: Shelters for the Older Person, an Urgent
Need in Bolivia (February 7, 2010)
(Article in Spanish)
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding various projects in Bolivia, especially in the cities of Potosi and Sucre where nursing homes and shelters are being built for the older people in the community. The older people will “grow old actively, with dignity, and with respect” according to program director Walter Mur. The facilities will not only offer healthy food, medical service, and occupational therapy but also a place to make friends and feel at home.
El Salvador: Every Month Two Older Persons are
Abandoned in Rosales (January 10, 2010)
(Article in Spanish)
Families abandon at least 23 older persons in emergency rooms every year in El
Salvador. This situation has increased over time due to rising medical costs and the bad economic situation. Some families have chosen to evict their older relatives if they cannot contribute to the household. The Rosales Hospital in San Salvador does not have any other option
than to send these “abandoned patients” to nursing homes. Not surprisingly, many suffer from malnutrition and depression.
Asia Pacific
Report:
Thailand: Return Migration and the Health of Older Aged Parents: Evidence From Rural Thailand (2010)
Out-migration of adult children from rural areas is an inexorable component of the socioeconomic change taking place throughout the developing world. How this migration affects the well-being of the older aged parents of the migrants who remain in rural areas is a matter of considerable debate. The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which an association exists between the health of older parents and return migrants of children in rural Thailand. Although media discussions have pointed out dangers of out-migration for older adults, little systematic evidence exists. This study supports the viewpoint that accommodations for older adults can be made despite social changes promoting out-migration and demographic aging of the population.
Report:
China: Social Security for China’s Rural Aged: A Proposal Based on a Universal Non-Contributory Pension (January 2009)
China’s relative lack of social security coverage for rural elders exacerbates the rural-urban economic disparity, slows the rate of rural poverty reduction, and raises social justice concerns. This analysis draws on evidence from interviews with experts on China and offers some suggestions for Chinese policy makers such as serious consideration of a universal non-contributory old-age pension.
South Korea: The
Role of Social Support and Social Networks in Smoking Behavior among Middle and
Older Aged People in Rural Areas of South Korea: A Cross-sectional Study (2010)
Few studies look at why older Koreans living in rural areas smoke a lot. Scientists looked at the social networks and social support in smoking behavior among middle and older aged people. They asked participants with a mean age of 60.7 years, residing in rural areas about their tobacco use, stress, social support and social networks. They found that social support and social networks would have to be invented to conduct more effective anti-smoking interventions in rural areas.
Sri Lanka: The Test of Society is the Way it Cares for its Elders (June 22, 2010)
In Sri Lanka, a new system of cultural concepts is emerging, created by economic priorities. In rural and urban areas, increasing numbers of children are moving away from their homes, leaving older persons to live alone. While some older persons are living comfortably and receive financial support through pensions or assistance from their children, most do not have such financial means. Hence, they depend on financial support from their children.
China: China's Shame of Abandoned Rural Elderly (June 9, 2010)
The majority of senior citizens in rural families have no one to provide for them
as the young move rapidly to cities for jobs. It is estimated that the suicide rate of the rural elderly in China is four or five times higher than the world average, suggesting that current standards in terms of welfare and old age allowances in place in rural areas are
inadequate.
Mongolia: IOM to Assess Needs of Rural Families Displaced by Extreme Winter (June 9, 2010)
The International Organization for Migration, in cooperation with UN partners including UNICEF, plans to launch an Emergency Displacement Assessment to investigate the situation of thousands of rural Mongolian families forced to migrate from their homes to the capital Ulaanbaatar due to one of the coldest winters on record. The IOM will assess any new initiatives to meet the needs of the most vulnerable rural migrants:
women, older persons, and children.
Bangladesh: Ever so Vulnerable to Storms, Floods and Sea Level Rises (December 31, 2009)
In Bangladesh, people--especially vulnerable ones like the elderly--are facing the consequences of climate change. Abbasuddin Mollah, a 60-year-old farmer, explains that he has to live on and cultivate flood-prone land. Consequently, because of the salty water, the fields are dying and he can't grow anything any more. Unfortunately, things are going to get worse. Two-thirds of the country is only five meters above sea level. According to a recent report of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh is the country most vulnerable to tropical cyclones and sixth most vulnerable to floods. The government
is trying to help people, but if sea and salinity levels rise, millions of Bangladeshis could be displaced and become "climate change refugees."
Europe and
Central Asia
United Kingdom: Fears for Future of Rural Bus Services (July 12, 2010)
Thousands of vulnerable bus users across East Anglia could lose vital lifelines if the new coalition government scraps a key transport grant. Transport experts have issued dire warnings of isolation for older persons, low income workers, and rural dwellers without cars if the government chooses to axe the £400m-plus a year bus service operator’s grant.
United Kingdom: Martha Lane Fox to
Get Elderly and Rural Dwellers Online (June 18, 2010)
Martha Lane Fox, the government’s “digital champion,” will help millions of older persons in rural areas get online. She claims that they will save money, find jobs, access services in a way that works for them, make connections with friends and community, and ultimately drive down the cost of delivering public services.
France: Countryside Seniors (April 16, 2010)
(Article in French)
According to the article, more and more French tend to change their lives, once retired. While they spent all their professional life in towns, they decide to move to the countryside. They make the most of the opportunity to start a new activity, such as opening a bed-and-breakfast or becoming a farmer. Lots of reasons can explain this choice: among many others, high senior unemployment, the fall in their purchasing power, added to several years in the stressful environment in towns encourage seniors to change their lives. But above all, older people are looking for quality of life rather than earning money.
Report: Scotland: Territorial Tensions: Misaligned Management and Community Perspectives on Health Services for Older People in Remote Rural Areas (March 2010)
This paper presents findings from a qualitative study investigating older people’s health service provision in remote rural Scotland. Comparing stake holder’s perspectives, contested issues were exposed where community members, service managers and policymakers disagreed. Considering these, led to the proposal that fundamental tensions exist between community and management/policy stakeholder’s perspectives and these underlie service change conflicts. While highlighting issues for older people’s service design, findings suggest that impacts of the current planning process require to be understood, and aspects need to be changed, before the voice of older people can inform local service policy.
Spain: Spanish Veteran Rural Novelist Delibes Dead at 89 (March 12, 2010)
Miguel Delibes, who dominated Spanish writing for more than 50 years with his mastery of the language, sensitive but realistic portrayal of downtrodden farm workers and love of nature, died on Friday. He was 89. Politicians set aside fierce squabbling over Spain's crisis to join in praising Delibes, whose career spanned the country's painful recovery from a devastating civil war and its transition from a grim dictatorship to a modern European democracy.
Georgia: A 129-year-old Georgian Woman May Be the Oldest Woman in the World (March 13, 2010)
(Article in Arabic)
Until recently, not many Georgians knew about Sashino Village in West Georgia. Now this small village has become a place of interest to those searching for Antisa Gafitshafa. Her passport, issued in 1979, testifies that she is 129 years old. At her advanced age, Antisa looks very weak and spends most of her time in bed.
Report: Europe: Ageing in the European Union: Where Exactly? Rural Areas are Losing the Young Generation Quicker than Urban Areas (2010)
The European Union is ageing as a result of two developments: first, the number of people aged 65 years and over is increasing and, second, the number of children (age group 0-14 years) is decreasing. However, the Member States, the different types of areas (rural, intermediate, urban) and the different NUTS3 areas (districts) show considerable variations. Although in 2001 rural areas had on average an older population than intermediate or urban areas, from 2001 to 2006 the share of the old age group grew faster in urban areas.
France: Getting Old in Rural Areas (December 16, 2009)
(Article in French)
A recent French study about aging in rural areas reveals that retirees in rural areas are more dependent and have frailer health than older persons in cities. However, 70% of them are happy with their current life, mostly thanks to strong familial support that allows them to stay at home. Finally, concerning leisure activities, the study emphasizes the preference given to physical engagement, such as daily walks and gardening.
Middle East and
North Africa
Palestine: Saving the Planet by Taking Older People Back to Nature (May 15, 2009)
(Article in Arabic)
Often governments and organizations target young people as the group responsible for protecting the future of the environment. Recently however, the Center for the Elderly and the Social Welfare Department in the municipality of Sakhnin (an Arab-Israeli city) arranged a “day in nature” for senior citizens. Hundreds of older people participated in this rural gathering that attempted to “go back to nature.” They took part in a series of traditional cultural activities to emphasize the historical and spiritual link between people and land, helping to generate a sense of social responsibility for the environment.
Global
World: IBM to Develop Mobile Apps for Rural, Aging Population (August 4, 2010)
IBM is joining hands with eminent academic institutes in India and Japan to find solutions that will help make mobile phone use more convenient for people who are illiterate or aged. In order to increase accessibly to mobile phones in rural areas, the collaboration would develop applications for mobile platforms that are simple and easy to use.
Report: Life-Course Events and Later-Life
Employment (June 2008)
Researchers compare whether early or later life issues are more important in determining when a person will leave the work force. Early life issues include education, parental background and family formation. Problems of health, disability and pension savings influence late life decisions. The report also demonstrates how men and women face these choices differently.
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