Elder Rights : World
Archives : 2003
France:Collecte Record pour «+ de Vie»
(December 10, 2003)
(Article in French)
Ms. Chirac, president of the « Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de
France Fundation » said that 1, 3 million euros have been collected
by the charity « + de vie ». Created in 1997, this group
collects funds in order to improve everyday life for the elderly at
hospital. Even if « + de vie » is less known than the « Pièces
Jaunes » (that aims at improving children’s life in hospital), it
assists families visit their loved ones, to have enjoyable activities and
to make available needed medications to help the older persons’
situation.
Australia: It's
never too late for a sporting life (December 4, 2003)
Dawn Hartigan, a 47 year-old-Australian woman, has just written a book
aimed at encouraging old people to get active. She tries to demonstrate
the benefit of a healthy and exercise filled life for retired people. Her
book includes stories of a 100-year-old runner and a 71-year-old swimmer.
The older they get, the more engaged in sport they become, and the better
they feel.
Japan
: Helping the elderly lead active lives(December 1, 2003
)
Ms. Chika Sekine aims to improve the lives of elderly and
disabled people in
Japan
by making information technology more accessible. As a former employee at
IBM Japan, she founded her own company in 1998 to make the internet,
computers, and other technology easier for elderly and disabled people to
use.
Yokohama
subway gives elderly, disabled passengers priority to all seats (December
1, 2003)
In eastern
Japan
, the
Yokohama
municipal government has decided to require the entire population to give
up their subway seats to elderly people. Seniors hailed the decision, but
some younger people grumbled that “sometimes young people feel sick
too.”
Elderly Chinese Re-marry to
Face Old Age (November 20, 2003)
In China, getting married late in life after a divorce or the death of a spouse
has a certain stigma. Sometimes
conflicts between parents and children can lead to difficult relations.
However, things are changing, due to government support of late
re-marriage. In fact, there are advantages since spouses take care of each
other and the State doesn’t have to spend money.
France: Trois magazines
cherchent à conquérir la clientèle des plus de 50 ans (November 8,
2003)
In France, « Notre Temps », « Vivre Plus »
and « Pleine Vie » are magazines for adults in early
retirement that include both with news, such as pension reform, and
in-depth studies on issues facing “younger” seniors. The magazines are
popular with seniors who may already be grand-parents, but who still have
to take care of their own elderly parents.
France: Who Cares? (November 6, 2003)
The shocking death toll of the summer heat wave in
France
has made care of the elderly a
national priority. Brett Kline discovers the home help system largely
depends on a workforce of poorly-paid African women.
EU: To
Ban Gender Bias In Insurance, Pensions (November 6, 2003)
The European Commission formalized a controversial proposal to ban sex
discrimination on everything from insurance rates to private pension
funds. In the first step toward establishing a new law for the 15-nation
European Union, the commission, the EU's executive agency, published draft
legislation that would ban the use of a person's sex in the calculation of
insurance rates and related pension
plans. It also would ban banks from discriminating against women in
lending.
Australia:
Saving Medicare (November 5, 2003)
The federal Coalition government's $1 billion plan to “save” Medicare
has been widely exposed as a wolf in sheep's clothing — a set of changes
that would radically change Medicare from providing universal health care
to little more than a safety net for the poor. This was further confirmed
by the October 30 release of a report by the Senate inquiry into the
government's Medicare proposals. Setting up free clinics for the
disadvantaged on the cheap will only accelerate the process of a two-tier
health system with high-quality health care for the rich and second-rate
health care for the poor.
Pour financer
la dépendance, le gouvernement laisse aux entreprises le choix d'un jour
travaillé en plus (
November 5, 2003)
In order to finance a fund for elders who
require continuous care, the French government has decided to remove a
traditional holiday. But Prime Minister modified this decision by allowing
the private sector to decide how to contribute to the elder fund. Private
firms will have a choice between removing a holiday or working during an
RTT day (day that is off due to the 35 hour workweek law). Moreover, the
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin announced measures to modernize
hospitals and nursing homes.
What's Left
for Canadians If Americans Buy Their Drugs? (November 4, 2003)
A Canadian pharmacists'
group is blaming the burgeoning trade in prescription-drug sales to U.S.
patients for reported instances of local drug shortages. Barry Power, a
director of the Canadian Pharmacists Association, says his organization
has been hearing from members across the country that supply problems are
cropping up more often and lasting longer than before the Internet
pharmacies set up shop. While Canada's federal health ministry says it
doesn't have any evidence that the online pharmacies are causing
shortages, a senior official acknowledged last week that swelling
cross-border sales raise that risk.
Italy: New Figures Show 7,659 More Died In Italy In Summer Heat
(November 4, 2003)
A least 7,659 more people - nearly all elderly - died during this past summer's scorching European heat
wave compared with the same period last year, Italy said Tuesday as it
sharply updated its figures on the death toll. Figures released Sept. 11
had said 4,175 more people died, but that toll did not include the second
half of August, one of the hottest periods of the summer. The revised
death toll still leaves Italy
second after
France, where the government reported 14,802 deaths.
Israel: The senior citizens beat the elderly (
November 4, 2003)
Considered a mere
curiosity five years ago, the Power to the Pensioners Party rose this year
to win seats in the Tel Aviv City Council. The Pensioners list won by listening to people's actual problems
and addressing their needs, putting constant pressure on the city to
maintain welfare programs even as city budgets dwindled. The success of
the Pensioners list "reflects the longing for more accessible, human
leadership - not the old generals, but the leadership of the wise old man
on the park bench."Lilian
Akinyi Okumu: Kenyan woman acts for elder people in her country
Ms. Lilian Akinyi Okumu, a
state counsel in the office of the Attorney General in Kenya, writes about the situation of older people in her country. In
Kenya, she observes, old people live in entrenched poverty, social neglect,
political contempt, and lack of appropriate health care. Ms. Okumu has
decided to create a non-governmental organization in order to protect the
elderly and to advocate for elder-appropriate laws, a social security
system, and health care.
A
run for ages (November 2, 2003)
Among
the tens of thousands of people running the
New York
marathon, one man provides special inspiration to a range of people in
England
: 92 year old runner Fauja Singh. The British Sikh will run his sixth
marathon to promote awareness of Sikh culture, drawing hundreds of Sikhs
from around the
New York
area to cheer him on. Singh
recently ran his personal best of 5 hours and 40 minutes.
France:
Dying at Work (October 2003)
(Article in French)
As the French government considers extending the age of retirement, some
may forget hidden figures that are good to know. Each year, 270 million
people have accidents at work and 5 000 die while on the job. Official
statistics show that France has a high rate of deaths at work with 780
each year. This silent suffering does not show in the government debates
about extending retirement. This is close to what social writers used to
call “the death retirement” at the end of the 19th century. It is also
the other side of “competitivity” and “growth.” These death
figures force consideration that human lives lie behind the retirement
issue.
Canada
voices concern over drug deals to U.S. (October 29, 2003)
The
Canadian government voiced concern on Wednesday that sales of
low-cost prescription drugs to the United States might cause shortages in
Canada. Health Minister Anne McLellan urged professional associations on
Wednesday to condemn the practice of Internet sales to the United States. "There are associations, be they pharmacists in particular or
doctors, who have not passed resolutions condemning the practice,"
McLellan told reporters. "There are some associations that have taken
a strong line in relation to Internet pharmacy practices. I would suggest
that other associations should do the same." McLellan said she had no
evidence of any shortages, and her department called for information on
the impact of the cross-border sales.
A
partir de 2004, les salariés travailleront le lundi de Pentecôte
(October 29, 2003)
The French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin announced the
removal of a traditional day-off called “Lundi de Pentecôte.”
Government tax collected from profits on this new work-day will finance a
fund for elders who require constant care. The government expects to
collect 1, 9 billion euros for the fund. Elderly people will receive money
from the fund according to age and level of handicap.
Old and In
the Way?
(October 28, 2003)
Europe is aging fast, but this journalist debunks some popular myths about
the causes and implications of an older population. European governments
exploit the “myth of the pension time bomb” to justify many cuts in
welfare systems by focusing on the “problem” of the elderly, but
cutting pensions isn’t the right solution. Instead, more unemployed
could be put to work, women could join the workforce in equal numbers with
men, and elders should be able to work longer with flexible working
conditions.
France
to Scrap Holiday to Pay for Elderly Care (October 27, 2003)
In order to finance better health care for the elderly, the French
government may give up a national holiday: the Monday after Pentecost. The
extra work day should bring an average of £1.3 billion (1.8 billion
dollars) that the government could use to improve care to older persons in
hospitals and nursing homes. However, French people may be reluctant to
give up one of their 11 official days off per year.
Maria
prepares to celebrate her 110th birthday (October 27, 2003)
Scotland’s oldest woman, Maria Pettigrew, turned 110 years old on
October 27. She credits a healthy life, simple food, and the “odd drop
of sherry” to her outstanding longevity. Maria was born before
telephones, televisions, and washing machines were invented, and remembers
vividly many of the greatest historical events of the last century.
Average ages
for retirement in the main European countries (23
October 2003)
The legal retirement age
in most major European countries is 65, but the actual age when many
people leave their jobs is often lower. European countries are starting to
reform the legal retirement age, increasing the number of contribution
years a worker must put in to receive their full pension benefits. This
article presents an overview of EU countries’ retirement laws and
proposed reforms.
Koizumi
tackles octogenarian MPs (October 23, 2003)
The Prime Minister of Japan has asked two octogenarian members
of parliament not to run again, in an effort to “spruce up” the image
of the Liberal Democratic Party. One of the targeted MPs, 85-year-old former
Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, qualifies this as “political
terrorism” in the form of age discrimination. Nakosone warns, "If
they give the impression that old people aren't needed, then all the old
people in the country will oppose them."
Quebec waitress wins
$16,700 for age discrimination (October 22, 2003)
The Quebec Human Rights Tribunal charged three people with age
discrimination against an employee of their bar, awarding the woman
$15,000 in “material losses.” The Tribunal found that a bar attempted
to fire a 56-year-old waitress after renovating the space to attract
younger customers. The decision was based on the Quebec Charter of Human
Rights and Freedoms, which prohibits age discrimination.
Grey power will advise
government (October 22, 2003)
New Brunswick
,
Canada
’s “oldest” province set up a Seniors’ Advisory Council this year
to deal with issues concerning seniors’ daily lives, such as the high
cost of health care and car insurance. Premier Bertrand Lord, who made the
decision to establish the council, said, “I decided to create the
council because I felt it was paramount for us as a government to hear
directly from the seniors”.
What the Elderly Demand from Us (
October 21, 2003
)
The population of
India
is aging rapidly, and many Indians are worried about how to take care
of the elders. With the structural evolution of the “modern” nuclear
Indian family, older people are becoming the new outcasts of society, with
no state structure to replace family support. This author calls on
insurance companies, state welfare programs, and non-governmental
organizations to mobilize to meet the needs of older people, but argues
that Indian families need to take responsibility for older parents.
Iraq: 'Living on memories of
my family' (October 20, 2003
)
It is six months since 10 members of the large family of Abid Hassan
Hamoodi were killed when coalition aircraft mistakenly bombed his
Basra
home. He says: “They are of my blood.
My wife, my daughter, who was a doctor, my son, a computer engineer and my
grandchildren. They have all gone.” The
72-year-old tells how he is coping.
South Africa: Poverty Hinders a Hunger to Learn
(October 19, 2003)
In a rural corner of
South Africa
, a grandmother is raising eight children on R700 ($97, GAA) a month - and
her biggest worry is paying school fees. IT'S
6.30am
. Suzan Dolo sniffs her snuff, with her right hand clutching a hand-made
grass-broom. At 64, she still sweeps her sandy 100m' yard before sunrise -
the first activity every morning for the women of Vergenoeg village, 80km
northwest of Mokopane in
Limpopo
. Here is the story of her life.
France
: Mutuelles: des augmentations de cotisations de près de 10 %(
October 17, 2003
)
The French Parliament will consider a bill at the end of October that
would shift some of the burden of prescription drug costs from public
Social Security insurance funds to private insurance companies. While the
French Social Security system must find a way to manage its large deficit,
decreasing the “couverture de base” (base level of reimbursement)
could have largely negative consequences. People who don’t benefit from
the “CMU” (Couverture Maladie Universelle) will be forced to pay for
private insurance companies, whose rates will increase on average of 10
percent after April.
UN: Gender and age: a challenge
that matters (October 17, 2003)
The issue of human rights has always been a top most priority in the
United Nations' agenda. Over the years, many committees have been formed
solely for the purpose of researching human rights violations and
developing policies to stop their growth. Yet even today, in spite of all
the efforts to prevent such cases, violation of fundamental human rights
is a significant threat to people of the world. Thus, it falls under the
jurisdiction of the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural committee (Third
Committee) to discuss not only ways member nations can prevent human right
violations, but also ways to implement these sound policies. One of the
related topics of the Committee is Advancement of women. This year, Margit
van der Steen raised the issues of gender and age at the meeting of the
Third Committee and her statement was also dedicated to the role of older
women.
United Kingdom
: Legion joins council tax fight (
October 17, 2003
)
The Royal British Legion has joined pensioners across the South West in
calling for reductions in council tax. It
says it has received more calls than ever before from pensioners in the
region facing financial hardship. The charity has combined with several
other groups in calling for reforms to the council tax system. The legion
says the system unfairly penalises the over 60s. The organisation says the
recent large increases in council tax have been too much for pensioners to
bear and that many of those eligible for council tax benefit are not
claiming it.
Russia
: Every 5th Russian citizen - elderly person (
October 1, 2003
)
Russia
has almost 30 million elderly people, that is,
virtually one fifth of the country's population. 12.5 mln people out of
them are over 70 and 5.3 million are disabled. About 20,000 are
long-livers who are already over 100. These figures were cited in an
interview with the governmental Rossiyskaya Gazeta by Deputy Prime
Minister Galina Karelova on the occasion of the International Day of the
Elderly Persons. In recent years, the country has witnessed a drastic
increase in the number of social services institutions, she said. At
present they comprise over 1,200 in-patient institutions and almost 2,000
centers for temporary stay.
Kyrgyzstan: Elderly call for improved conditions (October 15, 2003
)
Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union
in 1991, together with the comprehensive health
care it the offered its citizens, elderly people in the mountainous state
of Kyrgyzstan
are increasingly feeling sidelined by a system
that no longer cares. "I bought an apartment in Soviet times and
lived well. I planned to live on a fairly-earned pension," Svetlana
Valentinovna told IRIN in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. But following
independence and the introduction of a new national currency - the som -
the 78-year-old soon saw her plans fall apart. "My pension was not
sufficient for anything," she cried. Adding to her pain, her own son deceived her by selling her home with a
promise of taking his elderly mother in afterwards. "Now I have to
live in a nursing home. I have nowhere else to go," she said.
New
puzzle for older Chinese (
October 13, 2003
)
China’s population is rapidly ageing. Statistics
vary but UN figures show over 65-year-olds making up 23% of the total
population by 2050, as opposed to 7% in 2000. The effect on the labour
market will mean the ratio of working age people to support each person
over 65 will change from today’s
five to one to three
to one by 2050. This in a country where
economic transitions have blurred the once guaranteed pension allowance
and where many people have only the one child to support them.
China:
23.4 million empty nesters struggle to live alone (October 8, 2003)
"Empty nesters" refers to senior
citizens in a family without children around, including both the married
and the widowed.
China
has at least 23.4 million "empty
nesters" and the number is still growing, statistics showed. In
Tianjin
, 54 percent of senior citizens lived apart from
their children in 1997. This figure rose to 62.5 percent in 2002 and is
estimated to hit 90 percent in ten years. Currently, the empty nester
group is expanding quantitatively and proportionately, said He Maishou, a
professor on aging with the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences. The empty
nesters are concerned with three major problems, namely moderate income,
lack of physical care and insufficient emotional support, experts
said.
Canada: Aging Boomers will have to work longer (October 7, 2003)
A new report from the Conference Board of Canada warns that the shift of
the baby boomer generation into retirement will have a significant impact
on the labor market and on the health care system in Canada. The report
says that a shortage of replacement workers may force companies to provide
incentives for older workers to stay on the job longer, and may require
the government to extend the retirement age past 65.
Sri Lanka: New services for elders (October 3,
2003)
The government of
Sri Lanka
is taking several measures to improve the quality of life for older
people. The National Savings Bank raised interest rates on older
people’s savings deposits, and the State Pharmaceutical Corporation will
reduce the price of drugs for older people, allowing the aging population
to have better health care. The government will also set up Elders’
Committees and Elders’ Homes countrywide.
South Africa: Chronic poverty among aged (October 1, 2003)
A quarter of all older people living in South Africa may be classified as
chronically poor, with most living in households earning less than US $100
per month. According to a recent report commissioned by HelpAge
International (HAI), South Africa has one of the most rapidly ageing
populations in Africa, with a particular increase in the 64- to 74-year
age category, from 25.8 percent of the total population of older people in
1996, to 26.5 percent in 1999. The report, "Chronic Poverty and Older
People", noted that while the aged in
South Africa
continued to work well into the later stages of
ageing, fulfilling an important economic role in the household,
"chronic poverty reduces the options of older people to move from
producer to consumer".
Ukraine: A Sketch of an Older Ukrainian (October 10, 2003)
Ukraine is located in southeastern
Europe, and its largest neighbors include
Russia, Poland, Romania
and Byelorussia
(Belarus). The country has about 49 million
people in an area about the size of
Texas, making it the biggest European country next to
Russia
and Turkey. The population has been shrinking
in the last few years, decreasing by almost 3 million people from 1991 to
2003, and the average age is getting older. Today people over 60 comprise
more than 20% of the total population and in the next decade this number
is projected to increase by 9%. Dmytro Komshyn tells you a story of
someone who still lives in Ukraine
and who went through the process
of becoming a poor senior citizen after the break up of the USSR. This story is typical for
millions of elderly Ukrainian women and men.
Seeking Love (
October
10, 2003
)
The 50-plus dating game has never been hotter. Here's how
millions are finding new romance that second marriages are statistically
more likely to fail than first marriages. There are more players than ever
before: Higher divorce rates, longer life spans, and a greater tendency to
never marry are churning out more single Americans than at any other time
in the country's history. Of the 97 million Americans who are 45 or older,
almost 40 percent—36.2 million—are on the loose, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau.
Japan: When it
becomes too late to save (October 8, 2003)
The percentage of savings in
Japan
has fallen dramatically in the
last two decades, while incomes have failed to keep up with rising costs.
Economists worry that if the trend does not reverse,
Japan
’s aging population may find
that their savings do not meet their basic needs in retirement.
Japan
is slowly waking up to the problem of abuse of the
elderly in its rapidly greying society (
October 8, 2003
)
Not long ago, old age was a curse in some poor villages
in
Japan
. Starving villagers abandoned the aged to die on mountain tops, so that
they would not be a liability. The barbaric practice was portrayed in a
1980s' award-winning movie, The Ballad of Narayama. Abuse of the elderly
continues in
Japan
, which has the world's longest life expectancy - 84.93 years for women
and 78.07 for men. 'The human rights of
Japan
's elderly have been ignored for too long though we are a developed
nation,' says Professor Soji Tanaka, 68, of
Nihon
University. But things are changing.
Grant
to cut 'bed-blocking' (October 6, 2003)
A social services chief has said money will be spent preventing elderly
patients "blocking" hospital beds in
Kent
rather than saving it
to pay fines. The government has given
councils across the
UK
extra money to reduce the bed-blocking problem
but will take it back in the form of fines paid to the NHS if they fail.
Kent County Council has said it intends to take the gamble of spending its
£1.2m grant in advance to provide alternatives to acute hospital care
rather than saving it to pay any fines it may incur. Bed-blocking is when
vulnerable elderly people are kept in hospital because of a shortage of
beds available in care homes.
United Kingdom: The truth
about ageing (October 5, 2003)
Will Hutton of the Observer argues that the
UK
government has to face up to its responsibilities concerning retirement
age, pension rates, and how to finance pensions. The government must
develop a framework that will mitigate complex social inequalities while
developing a sustainable way to pay for pensions - a difficult but
necessary task.
Ireland:
Rally against attacks on elderly (October 1, 2003)
About 200
people have marched through
Belfast
city centre to
protest against a series of attacks on elderly people. Speakers
at the rally on Wednesday called on the police, government and community
groups to do more to protect the more vulnerable members of society.
Police say the chances of an elderly person being the victim of burglary
are small, but fear of crime remains a concern.
Nigeria:
Group Harps On Well Being of Elderly (October 2, 2003)
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) under the aegis of Centre for Social
Policy (CSP) based in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, has declared its
intention to improve on awareness and understanding of the situation,
problems, needs and rights of older persons in the society. Executive
Director of CSP, Ibadan, and Project Coordinator , Dr. Dayo Akeredolu-Ale,
who made this known at a media briefing and consultation on the theme:
"Promoting the Well Being of the Elderly," said the Centre for
Social Policy and Community Health, a not-for-profit organisation, founded
on September 25, 1994, was to contribute significantly towards the
emergence and consolidation in Nigeria in particular, and Africa in
general, of a social-policy environment that facilitates and guarantees
the attainment of adequate and sustainable human development and human
welfare.
UN:
Powerful resource of older persons must be tapped for says
Secretary-General in message on International day (
October 1, 2003
)
Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message on the
International
Day of Older Persons, observed 1 October.
South Korea: 300,000 Jobs to Be Created for Elderly (
October 1, 2003
)
In preparation for an aging society, the government plans to create
300,000 jobs for senior citizens by 2007. The Ministry of Health and
Welfare said Wednesday that it will operate a resource center for the
elderly from next year for that purpose. The center, which will focus on
creating jobs for people above 65, will employ seniors in such sectors as
environmental preservation, traffic and parking regulation and
maintenance.
Ireland: Aged go on the offensive for protection (
October 1, 2003
)
Older people from across
Northern Ireland
today demanded Government action to protect
them against violent attacks. Hundreds of people were set to take to the
streets for Help the Aged's Community Safety Rally where they were told
that society would "not stand idly by while they are attacked in
their homes".
Ukraine: Thousands
Rally for Soviet Benefits in
Kiev
(October 1,
2003
)
Thousands of veterans, pensioners and
Chernobyl
victims rallied outside
Ukraine
's
parliament on Tuesday, demanding the cash-strapped government leave in
place Soviet-era benefits that many say they cannot live without. Carrying
red Soviet flags and posters with slogans such as "Veterans, everyone
defend your rights" and "Take away your own benefits, return our
health," thousands of elderly people protested the 2004 draft budget,
which would replace free municipal transport and special medical and
social privileges with fixed payments in an effort to cut expenditures.
Vietnam: Various activities to be held to mark Elderly People's Day (
September 30, 2003
)
Various cultural and sports events will take place in Ha Noi from Oct.
4-10 to mark the International Elderly People's Day (Oct. 1). These events
are aimed at honouring the elderly Vietnamese people's contributions to
the country's development. On this occasion, a fine art exhibition will
also open from Sept. 29 to Oct. 9 to display 59 paintings by 49 aged
members of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association.
Viet Nam
now has over 6 million elderly people,
accounting for 7.5 percent of the population.
Bahrain:
New social benefits for elderly on way (September 30, 2003)
New laws are being drafted to improve services being provided to the
elderly, announced a top social worker yesterday. Assistant
Under-Secretary for Social Affairs Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa
said plans include providing new benefits for the elderly, as a token of
thanks for their services for their nation and families. These will
include reductions in air travel fares, free use of public transport and
discount cards which give the elderly special reductions in outlets across
Bahrain.
Vietnam
gives play to potential of elderly people (
September 30, 2003
)
Vietnam
has attached importance to the role of elderly people, especially
intelligentsia, in socioeconomic development in recent years. "Our
country has been actively issuing policies to fully tap experience and
expertise of the elderly," an official of the Vietnam Association of
the Elderly told Xinhua on Tuesday. The policies include establishing
centers for retired state employees, creating favorable conditions for
people of great scholarship to give university lectures, inviting the
talented to participate in national projects, and encouraging the elderly
to do business, said Do Trong Ngoan, the association's general secretary.
United Kingdom: Elderly care plans to be policed (
September 29, 2003
)
The City watchdog is taking new steps to protect people who purchase
long-term care plans - savings products which cover the cost of specialist
support in old age. Financial advisers
will have to pass exams if they want to sell the plans. Policyholders will
also be allowed to seek compensation if they have been given bad advice. A
Royal Commission report on Monday, September 29, found that thousands of
old people are selling their homes to fund care costs.
Denmark: Volunteerism amongst older Danes (
September 20, 2003
)
As in the rest of the developed world, the growth of the older
population in
Denmark
is projected to be considerably larger than that of the younger
population. According to the
Danish National Institute of Social Research (2001) the 60 years and older
population will grow by 30% compared to approximately 2% for the youngest
generation (0-18 years old) and 3% for the 19 to 59 group between 1998 and
2020.
Denmark
is facing similar concerns to that of the developed world regarding how to
cope economically with an aging population. For example, by the year 2020
the cost of services to the aging population will rise by 20% to what it
is today (over $54,000,000).
Hence interest has grown in policies that may ameliorate this
economic burden. And volunteerism is one such possible avenue. The goal of
this brief article is to describe volunteerism in Denmark, particularly amongst older adults, and what the future holds.
Italy
pension overhaul to get unions' input (September 24, 2003)
The Italian government said Tuesday that it was open to discussing pension
reform with Italy's labor unions - which had threatened this week to call
a general strike to protest measures to keep workers on the job longer -
but it gave no indication that it would budge on planned changes to the
country's bloated social security system. After meeting with labor unions
and industrialists to discuss the 2004 budget, which seeks to raise E16
billion, or $18.4 billion, from spending cuts and revenue measures,
Welfare Minister Roberto Maroni said consultations on pension reforms
would likely begin Thursday (Sep.25).
United
Kingdom: Pensioners feeling the pinch (September 22, 2003)
Pensioners are often reluctant to claim additional benefits
and, with fixed incomes, their living standards are very sensitive to
small increases in the cost of living. Evidence suggests many have found
that above-inflation increases in council tax, water bills, insurance
costs and other expenses are putting their incomes under increasing
pressure. BBC News Online spoke to three pensioners about how they are
coping.
Italy :
Older, but Not Better, in Italy. Despite
TV Show's Celebration of Aging, Pensions Draining System (September 21,
2003)
"Velone," a hit summertime television show that
featured geriatric women singing and kicking up their heels in a quest for
a $270,000 grand prize, ended its run last week with the victor dancing a
barefoot tarantella under a shower of confetti. The creators of the
series, the latest and wackiest version of the showgirl-heavy,
shake-your-booty programming that is a staple of Italian television,
hailed the event as a celebration of aging. But Italy as a whole is not so
much celebrating the elderly as ruefully trying to figure out how it is
going to care for and feed a population that is Europe's oldest. With
birthrates low and life spans growing longer, more and more people are
entering Italy's generous pension system -- and money is running out.
Already, more than 40 percent of income tax revenue is spent on supporting
Italians in retirement.
United
Kingdom: 'Action needed' to protect elderly (September 17, 2003)
The
government must take more action to protect elderly people in the
community, the Democratic Unionist Party has said. The party outlined
their concerns during talks with the Minister for Social Development, John
Spellar. The meeting followed an attack on a 96-year-old woman and her
daughter at their home in Tullylish outside Gilford, County Down, earlier
this week. North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds said too many senior citizens were
"living in fear" in Northern Ireland. "Newspaper and
television reports of horrific assaults on some 80 and 90-year-olds has
created a climate of fear amongst elderly people who feel isolated and
vulnerable," he said.
Shizuoka
/ Drive-through pharmacy helps elderly (September 15, 2003)
A pharmacist in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, who opened the
country's first drive-through pharmacy is also offering home delivery
service. The pharmacy, P Station Mikatahara Yakkyoku opened in June and is
located in a 360-square-meter space along a prefectural road in the city.
The owner, Hiroaki Suzuki, 40, has worked as a pharmacist at several
pharmacies in the city, and waited 10 years to open his own. He often saw
people tired and sick people having to wait in line to receive medicine,
which he felt must have been very hard on them. The outside of the
pharmacy has the appearance of a fast-food restaurant. Customers drive up
to the reception window, hand their prescriptions to the pharmacist, and
wait in their cars while their prescriptions are filled.
France
pledges to make elderly a priority (September 15, 2003)
A French Cabinet member said Monday, September 15 that the government had
been stunned by the scope of devastation in an August heat wave and
suggested it couldn't be blamed for failing to save thousands of lives.
The government has faced tough criticism from doctors, who say it didn't
react fast enough when temperatures soared to 104 degrees and stayed
there. Most of those killed were elderly and weak. "We were caught
off guard by the size, the brutality and the length of the high
temperatures," Social Affairs Minister Francois Fillon said,
testifying at a parliamentary committee on the heat deaths. "Nobody
expected such a big crisis."
United
Kingdom: Surveillance equipment to help elderly living alone (September
12, 2003)
Elderly people are to be monitored in their homes using
sophisticated computer surveillance equipment, in a pilot scheme run by
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Sensors will be attached to doors,
locks, kitchen equipment, beds, baths and even toilets in the homes of the
elderly, under the Insight Active Care Environments Scheme. Is that an
attempt to improve elderly care or violation of privacy?
United Kingdom: 'Big
Brother' for the elderly (September 11, 2003)
It could be an idea for a TV reality programme: take a group of
elderly residents and monitor them 24-hours-a-day in their own homes with
a hi-tech computer that follows their normal routine, interacts with them
and tends to their every need. No, it is not the latest Big Brother show
targeted at an older audience. Instead, it is the solution under-pressure
social services bosses have turned to to deal with the ongoing shortage
and rising cost of care home places.
Germany:
Elderly still have much to offer our
society (September 11, 2003)
The young complaining about free hip implants for old people, and the old
grumbling about free university education for the young: In Germany, the
war of the generations appears to amount to a banal feud over who gets
what. But it is not only in Germany that the young are pushing aside the
old, since the same principle applies to global competition among young,
faster-growing nations and older, less dynamic ones. Yet new research
shows that wisdom, long thought of as an intangible benefit of growing
older, can be measured tangibly and put to practical use. While too many
elderly put a burden on society, too many young people can also pose
problems. And while population growth may temporarily relieve national
pension budgets it is a dead-end street on a global level. In view of the
world's limited resources, some are therefore considering the aging
nations of Europe not as a dying breed, but as a pilot project.
Italy:
Heat Killed 4,000 More Elderly (September 11, 2003)
The heat wave that scorched Europe this summer may be to blame in the
deaths of more than 4,000 elderly Italians, the Health Ministry said
Thursday, offering its first official figures related to the searing
temperatures. The ministry said 34,071 people over the age of 65 died
during the period of July 16 to Aug. 15, the height of the heat wave.
That's 4,175 more than the same time last year.
Japan:
A yen for a hi-tech life (September 11, 2003)
The ageing residents of Japan are turning to cutting-edge
technology in their twilight years. Mrs
Tanaka is 84. Today, as usual, she wakes just before 7am, slips on her
dressing gown and flips a switch to start water boiling for her first
green tea of the day. She's about to get dressed when she pauses. She
turns to the low table near the door, where a soft toy sits incongruously,
and greets it in her distinctive west-Japan accent."Good morning Teddy. How are you today?" "Pretty good,
thanks Tanaka-san," comes the reply. "Have you remembered to
take your pills? It's the pink ones this morning," the robot bear
continues.
Australia:
Loan push aimed at the elderly (September 11, 2003)
Big banks are targeting the equity in the homes of the elderly by
offering loans against the value of their house - to the chagrin of
consumer groups and those who value their future inheritance. The
Commonwealth Bank announced yesterday the establishment of a reverse
mortgage product which in effect swaps the retained value in a home for a
loan. The loans are aimed at maintaining a lifestyle not available for
most pensioners and superannuants.
Estonia's youth
ready to jump to EU while elderly stay cautious (September 10, 2003)
While Estonia's youth largely see the European Union as a land of
promise ahead of Sunday's referendum on joining, the elderly are more
cautious, seeing perhaps a better future for their children in the bloc
but little benefit for themselves. "There is no rise in pensions in
sight, but the prices are going up even without the EU," 68-year-old
Hilja Kukk, director of the Estonian Pensioners Union told AFP. "Even
our government admits that many prices will skyrocket in the EU, so I
can't imagine how the pensioners will be able to manage."
Japan: No way out: A future of
fewer workers and more retirees looks grim (September 9, 2003)
It may not be a glamorous matchup-Finance Ministry versus welfare
ministry-but it is certainly one that will help determine whether Japan
ages gracefully or tumbles into precipitous decline. Add vote-wary
politicians and grousing senior citizens at ringside, and you can see how
the debate could develop into a donnybrook.
Ghana: The Old Beggars
Who Should Be At Home (September 8, 2003)
Taking a brisk walk through the heart of the city of Accra notably Nkrumah
circle and other traffic joints during rush hours reveal a lot. Beggars
calling out is most outstanding. A number of these beggars are women- some
with children including twins. The most pathetic of them all are the older
women who should be nursing their grand children at home. Some older women
who look very sick, with some visually impaired are helped by children of
school going age to beg for alms. Others in wheel chairs are more
concerned about the money they get than their lives and cross on-coming
vehicles anyhow. According to a lecturer at the Department of Sociology,
University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Araba Apt the story of many African older
women are sad. Faced with widespread poverty, deprivation, illiteracy,
poor health and banishment, many older African women are still struggling.
France:
Lack of communication to blame for French heat wave crisis: official
report (September 8, 2003)
A breakdown in communication in France's health care system was mainly to
blame for the crisis sparked by last month's heat wave, which killed more
than 11,000, according to an official report. "An adequate alert,
watch and information system would have allowed those involved to act more
quickly in implementing measures to adapt the health care system" to
help those at risk, said the team of experts who drafted the report and
published it on Monday, on what went wrong during the heat wave.
China: “Grandpa Testee” Fulfilled
College Dream (September 3, 2003)
Shanghai, China – A 62 years old from Zhejiang Province went for college
entrance exam this year. He
scored 317 as the first “Grandpa Testee” passing the exam in the
nation. But his score was about 30 points lower than his desired
college Shanghai Professional Medical Mechanic School’s acceptance
criteria. To fulfilled his
dream, the school exceptionally granted his admission as a special testee.
(The text is in Chinese.)
Nigeria: 70-Yr-Old
Ex-Serviceman Dies On Pension Queue (September 2, 2003)
The article examines the present state of the Nigerian pension scheme for
military pensioners. The screening committee, which carries out the
exercise on a monthly basis, according to sources, is meticulous in its
work to ensure that only authentic pensioners are cleared to collect
pensions. Many pensioners, however, complain that the exercise is tedious,
especially for the elderly ones, and that the large number of pensioners
in the state further worsened the situation.
India:
Desperately seeking succour (September 9, 2003)
Ageing, it would seem, does not discriminate on grounds of gender. But a
closer look reveals the loopholes in that argument. In the Indian context,
it appears that men might not be as vulnerable to distress and miseries in
old age as women generally are. This is because women in our country form
a small percentage of the working population. They are thus denied the
retirement benefits that working men have access to when they grow old. A
survey conducted by the Calcutta Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology
revealed an interesting fact. While 61.23 per cent of the male respondents
cited economic problems as a major cause of worry after retirement, a
significant chunk of 40.9 per cent among the women claimed that they did
not anticipate any problems. This sounds ironical, especially in a social
environment where old women are constantly being edged out of their own
homes, and their children’s, once they are widowed.
France:
Paris May End a Holiday to Improve Care of Aged (September 8, 2003)
Pentecost is one of the most important holidays in Christianity.
The 50th day after the resurrection of Christ, it commemorates the descent
of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. In France, the day after Pentecost
is also considered sacred, though for a far different reason. Workers get
the day off. Last week, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin floated the
idea of abolishing the Monday holiday — one of 11 national holidays —
to raise money for improved health care for the elderly after last month's
heat wave killed an estimated 11,000 people, most of them elderly and
isolated.
China: “Silver Hair Car Lovers” Now Enjoy
Fast-Forward Experience (September 3, 2003)
Many driving schools in Tianjin showed there are more and more older
people learn to drive today. More
than 10% of the students were over 50 years old.
Among them, learners over 60 years old started to increase rapidly.
Days ago, the Police Department allocated the “Automobile
Management Ten Expedient Measure”. It stated that starting from September 1, the age limit of
obtaining a driving license change from 60 to 70.
(The text is in Chinese.)
China:
“Grandpa Testee” Fulfilled College Dream(September 3, 2003)
A
62 years old from Zhejiang Province went for college entrance exam this
year. He scored 317 as the
first “Grandpa Testee” passing the exam in the nation.
But his score was about 30 points lower than his desired college
Shanghai Professional Medical Mechanic School’s acceptance criteria.
To fulfilled his dream, the school exceptionally granted his
admission as a special testee. (The
text is in Chinese.)
The Netherlands: Cabinet to
punish early retirement (September 3, 2003)
If you are thinking of retiring early in the Netherlands, you better have
deep pockets. The Cabinet reportedly discussed a plan on Wednesday under
which workers who avail of the VUT system to stop work before retirement
age will have to pay a massive "advance levy" in tax equivalent
to a year's salary. The FNV, the largest labour union confederation in the
Netherlands, described the plan as "idiotic" and warned it would
go to court to "fight tooth and nail against the violation of
pre-pensioners".
China:
Yes to cohabiting, no to marriage for the elderly (August 31, 2003)
A growing number of elderly widowers and widows in China's
capital are putting an end to their loneliness, not by getting married,
but by moving in together. Social workers said this arrangement was being
favoured to avoid potential problems. Ms
Yi Mi, vice-president of the local elderly people's federation, said: 'To
some of them, walking directly into marriage can lead to problems such as
property disputes. Some children also dislike a re-arrangement of the
heritage due to another marriage by a parent.'
'Nursing
home' jails for elderly (August 29, 2003)
Over-60s make up the
fastest-growing age group in England and Wales, with 1,200 inmates - three
times the number a decade ago, according to the study. The campaign group
argues that steep rises in numbers have left the prisons struggling to
deal with the health problems of the elderly. Building the kind of
"nursing home prisons" that already exist in America could be
the answer, the group argues.
Japan:
Senior-friendly products good for all (August 29, 2003)
The population has been aging quickly, and in 2025 one of every
four Japanese will be 65 or older. As people age, their vision, hearing,
sense of balance, adaptability and other physical abilities inevitably
deteriorate. The loss of these abilities progresses over time. Many
elderly people suffer from multiple mild but progressive disabilities or
are on the verge of becoming disabled. Therefore, a society nearing a
phase in which a significant percentage of its population is elderly
should orient itself toward serving the needs of disabled people. In their
efforts to develop products and services for the elderly, businesses need
to bear in mind that they must also be serving the needs of people with
disabilities.
India:
Violence Against Elderly Growing (August 24, 2003)
The
examples of the increasing incidence of abuse and violence against elderly
people are provided in this article. An ominous trend likely to grow as
many countries experience rapidly aging populations. According to HelpAge
India Director-General, Maj Gen (retd) Inderjit S Dhillon, the
organisation has for the past three years been conducting workshops with
the Delhi Police to sensitize them to the special needs of the elderly.
UK: Pensioner home loan
warning (August 22, 2003)
Pensioners are able to obtain cash advances secured against the value of
their houses through equity release or home reversion plans. Under such
schemes, people over the age of 60 sell their home, or a percentage of
their home, to a lender who collects on the homeowners’ death. In return
they receive a cash lump sum, or a monthly income, or a combination of
both.
UK:
The looming clash of the generations (August 22, 2003)
Some writers predict a new intergenerational war looming in the West. For
once, youth could be on the losing side. Western countries need new social
policies that address the consequences of demographic and technological
change - but the baby boom generation that brought about the social
revolution of the 60's and 70's could suffer under such policies, and has
the numbers to prevent them from being adopted.
Food
label reader makes shopping easier for the elderly and blind
(August 20, 2003)
A SCOTS inventor has found a state-of-the-art solution to a daily problem
faced by thousands of blind and elderly shoppers. One in five Scots have
trouble reading the small print on food labels and medicines which warn of
potential allergic reactions. But
a group of Glasgow-based engineers hope to bring an end to the problem by
installing their futuristic invention in shops across the country.
China:
Hollow Family Increase; City Elders Longing for Emotional Care (August 18,
2003)
Beijing, China – According to a research from Beijing Marriage Family
Center showed, among the total population of 1 million 780 thousands
elderly living in Beijing city, female elders who lived in hollow family
were 29.36% of the total, and male elders were 42.56% of the total.
28.17% female and 31.47% male elders demanded independent personal
living space and expressed they don’t want to live with their children.
Though, the same research indicated that many elders wanted their
children to take care of their needs, yet because their children reside
far away or busy with work, they can’t take care of their elder parents.
Expert’s analysis indicated the country’s transition to a
modern society, role exchange during the process of modernization,
increase in hollow families and complication of family relation added much
mental and emotional burden to the elderly. (full text is in Chinese)
Seniors
A Go-Go On Italian TV (July 29, 2003)
After endless programs featuring
half-naked girls pawing at balding hosts, this one tries to turn the trend
on its head with a show of pageants in which each elderly woman sings and
dances for a big cash prize while her height, weight and age are displayed
on-screen. Some are appalled by the six-night-a-week program. The Vatican
newspaper said this sort of thing shouldn't be televised; women's rights
campaigners call it shameful. But many of the contestants describe "Velone,"
which can be roughly translated as "Big Showgirls," as a welcome
bit of fun in a country that often overlooks its sizable elderly
population.
Elderly
in deprived areas 'at risk' (July 16, 2003)
Seven out of 10 older people in deprived areas are victims of social
exclusion, a new study claims. The research, published on Wednesday, was
carried out for the Economic and Social Research Council and looked at
some of the most deprived areas of Liverpool, Manchester and Newham, east
London. It also found that 45% of
the elderly in the areas were living in poverty. And just 7% felt safe
leaving their homes at night. The report defines social exclusion as the
elderly missing out on material needs, social relations, civic activities
or basic services.
Adult health center to open in Waipahu
(August 14, 2003)
A new adult day health care and child care center opened yesterday
in Waipahu. When senior citizens exercised in Wallace Roig's class at
Waipahu District Park, they always left with a smile, his wife, Saiwun,
recalls. But in 1999 he was paralyzed by a stroke and could no longer
teach the class. The new Waipahu Community Adult Day Health Care Center
and Youth Day Care Center was dedicated yesterday and includes a room
honoring Roig. The center aims to continue his legacy of keeping the
community's seniors active.
Bulgaria: Saviours
of the elderly (August 7, 2003)
FOR many of the elderly generation of Bulgarians, life is a time of grey
despair, struggling to survive on less than two leva a day. Attempting to
bring light into the greyness are the American Red Cross, in co-operation
with the Bulgarian Red Cross, which launched a project last June aimed at
helping elderly, low-income people. Their intervention is timely.
"Elderly people are doomed to die," said 75-year-old Boika
Kutsarova from Lovech with tears shining in her eyes.
Malta:
Elderly
of the year award to be held in September (August 5, 2003)
The first day of October is dedicated to the elderly throughout the
world, and the activities organised by the parliamentary secretariat will
reach their peak on 27 September. The parliamentary secretary urged
voluntary organisations and local councils to nominate elderly people for
the prize to show their appreciation and recognition for the voluntary
work that was taking place in society. Nominations for the prize will be
received by Friday 29 August at noon.
New
Zealand: "Jobs
Jolt" to hit older workers (August 5, 2003)
A new plan to shorten the dole queues will also make it harder for older
workers to get a benefit. The so-called "Jobs Jolt" initiative
includes a move to bring in work tests for people over 55. Social Services
Minister Steve Maharey says it is going to get tough and suspend benefits
for those who refuse to work.Of the jobless, 8,000 are 55 to 60 years old
and on a transition to retirement benefit - they get the dole but aren't
work tested!!!
Knitting
for the Needy (August 2, 2003)
Mona MacKellar, 77, of Port Erin, said she called on friends and family to
help and the pensioners put their needles and wool into action. The
four women have produced more than 100 hats, gloves and scarves to help
clothe the youngsters after the daughter of one of the group, Mona
MacKellar, told them what was happening. The knitwear will start its long
journey to Serbia this week, but it won't be alone. Linda explained: 'We
were discussing the transporting of these things to Serbia when I
mentioned that the saddest people were the elderly refugees who are
without family.
Gambia: First
African Old People's Home Here (July 28, 2003)
Banjul - A
facility that is being dubbed the first old people's home in Africa has
been inaugurated in The Gambia. The facility located in Bakoteh is
perceived to be a "providential answer" for the predicament of
old members of society who may find it difficult to enjoy the care and
attention of hospitals already overstretched by the teeming number of
younger people needing their services.
Bahrain:
Elderly
to get new medical center (July 28, 2003)
Bahrain – With the growth of aging population and urgency to respond to
their needs, a community medical centre for the elderly is to be
constructed in Salmaniya. The project will consist of a two-storey
building with six general wards, three for males and three for females
with 22 beds each, private rooms, recreation halls, consultation rooms,
laboratory, pharmacy and medical records section. Other facilities are
administration offices, kitchen, cafeteria, laundry, meeting room,
reception and waiting areas and prayer rooms. The project is currently
under development stage.
India:Life
begins at 65 for theatre cast (July 28, 2003)
New Delhi - Life begins at
65. Just ask the mixed crew of amateurs, ranging from the ages of 65 to
96, who entertained audiences here with a rib tickling play to promote
their key message -- active ageing. The senior citizens of the
Chittaranjan Park Morning Club, gathered under the banner of Helpage
India. "The main purpose of staging the play is that one can make
one's life as productive and meaningful as possible, even though the
people have crossed many milestones," said Helpage director general
Inderjit S Dhillon.
Israel: Six elderly Iraqi Jews brought
to Israel (July 27, 2003)
Six of the estimated 34
Jews remaining in Iraq have arrived in Israel. Among the six that arrived
over the weekend was a 99-year-old woman and her 70-year-old daughter,
another 70 year-old woman who was the last Jew in the southern Iraqi city
of Basra, and a blind 90-year old Baghdad resident. The names of the six
were not released, and the Jewish Agency kept the mission a secret until
they landed in Israel. The effort to take them out of Iraq was considered
a humanitarian mission, said Giora Rom, director general of the Jewish
Agency, the organization responsible for bringing Jews to Israel.
India:
The
Courtyard Of Earthly Justice (July 26, 2003)
For nearly five years now, Laba, a journalist-turned-human rights
activist, has struggled against all odds to keep the Manipur
Human Rights Commission (MHRC) flag flying by pronouncing
judgements, passing orders and sending show-cause notices to every arm of
the government. Everyone, from rickshaw-pullers to former chief ministers,
makes a beeline to his house to get justice, pure and simple. Whether the
MHRC gets a new lease of life or not, one thing is sure: Laba will
continue to fight for people’s rights.
Massacre
of civillians continues in Ituri (Congo) (July 22, 2003)
The journalist of Agence France reports the massacre of about 20
civilians in the district of Ituri, located North-East of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. The majority of victims are elderly, women and
children. The conflict between Hemas and Lendus, the ethnic groups in the
area, resulted in more than 50 000 deaths since 1999 and forced more than
one half-million of civil flee the settlements. Apparently neither the
presence of French soldiers
nor Union military forces interfered to protect vulnerable groups.
(original text in French)
Growing
old disgracefully (July 22, 2003)
Chrissie Hynde (52),
who was arrested in Paris last week at an animal rights protest, says
she's "too old to be a rock chick". Her band,
the Pretenders, has been going for a quarter of a century - but she is by
no means its tamest. Hynde might be less recognisable if
she did not look almost exactly the same as she did 25 years ago when she
burst onto the British pop scene with her now legendary hit Brass in
Pocket.
Elderly Stage Protest Over
Threat of Closure (July 21, 2003)
Decision
of Bristol City Council to close Rushlands Elderly Home has provoked mass
resentment and protests. Officers say Rushlands and the sheltered housing
complex next door in Kirkby Road is the most suitable site to build 55 one
and two-bedroom flats as part of a £9 million sheltered housing scheme.
Rushlands’ residents and relatives have formed Relatives' Action Group
for the Elderly (RAGE) to fight the closure.
Transport ordered to install facilities for
handicapped, elderly (July
21, 2003)
Philippines Department
of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has begun implementing the law
that requires all transportation system to provide persons with
disabilities and older persons with special facilities on-board sea-, air-
and water-transport systems. Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said
that in implementing the Philippine Plan for Action for Older Persons and
the promotion of the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities, the efficiency,
safety and reliability of transport systems should also be ensured.
Canada:
Top court to rule on veterans' pensions (July 17, 2003)
Canadian
federal government has long been managing disabled war veterans’
pensions, allowances and personal monies because they were unable to do so
themselves. However, no interest was paid and often when the veterans
died, the principal in the account reverted to the government. The Supreme
Court of Canada rules on this class-action suit for compensation on July
17.
Taiwan:
Age disparity on the rise, MOI reports (July 16, 2003)
The latest
statistics show that the percentage of Taiwan people aged 65 or over has
increased from 8.9% last year to 9.1 percent this year. The increase
indicates further aging of the Taiwan population and the trend is even
more evident in the countryside and outlying islands.
UK: Elderly in deprived areas 'at risk'
(July16, 2003)
The
research, published on July 16, was carried out for the UK’s Economic
and Social Research Council and looked at some of the most deprived areas
of Liverpool, Manchester and Newham, in east London. It found that seven
out of 10 elderly people in deprived areas are victims of social
exclusion. In addition, the researchers found that 45% of the elderly in
the areas were living in poverty and just 7% felt safe leaving their homes
at night.
Australia:
Retirement may soon be a word of the past (July 15, 2003)
Australia's
trend to early retirement is slowly grinding to a halt as more elderly are
considering later retirement. Driven by a desire for a more satisfying
balance between work and life, and a need to top up inadequate retirement
savings, Australia's baby boomers are rethinking the dream of retiring in
their 50s. Statistics show that half those in the 55 to 64 age group are
in the workforce and that the big increase has been in employment of older
women.
New
Zealand: Elderly angry over driver retesting
(July 14, 2003)
New
Zealand requires drivers aged 80 or over will retake their practical test
every two years. Many elderly say that the tests are nerve-wracking and
feel that are being discriminated against due to their old age. Statistics
show that 71% of those 80 and over fail their two yearly tests nationwide.
However, OECD figures show there is no need for mandatory testing. The New
Zealand’s Human Rights Commission is being asked to investigate claims
of "gestapo-style" behaviour by those who retest elderly
drivers.
Anti-Aging
Middle East launched in Dubai (July 13, 2003)
Streamline Marketing, one of the region's premier event management
companies, joined forces with the American Association of Anti-Aging
Medicine to launch an innovative new event - the Middle East's first
annual 'Anti-Aging Conference and Exhibition' that was held in 2004 in
Dubai. This description details the program
Australia:
Our elderly go hungry (July 13, 2003)
Despite
Australia’s global reputation for healthy elderly
citizens, a researcher at the University of Newcastle warned the
inadequacy of nutrition among Australian older population.
Statistics show that one in three older people admitted to hospital are
under-nourished in Australia. Experts say that the government “should not
be complacent about its good record looking after the elderly”.
China
becomes an aging society (July 11, 2003) (in Chinese)
According
to China National Statistics Bureau, China has 130 million older people
aged 60 or over, consisting of 10% of total population. This represents
the advent of an aging society in China according to the UN’s standard.
Statistics show that China has about 10 million older people aged 80 or
older, who need caring. However, China currently only has 40,000 caring
homes with over 1 million beds for caring the elderly. (The text is in
Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer
Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
China:
Elderly bearers of love (July 9, 2003)
Every
Tuesday afternoon, a team of volunteers, seven women aged between 56 and
73 years, brings bliss and happiness to a special ward in Linfen Hospital
in Shanghai, China. Patients
in that ward, most of whom are the elderly, suffer from cancer, with a
life expectancy of only up to three months. Volunteers comfort patients
and make patients always look forward to Tuesdays.
Fewer
young, more elderly in South Africa (July 9, 2003)
The
elderly population (65 years old or over) in South Africa increased from
4.8 percent in 1996’s to 4.9 percent in 2001. In contrast, South
Africa’s population younger than 15 were 34.3 percent in 1996’s and in
2001 it decreased to 32.1.
UN:
Committee experts, noting important progress in Japan’s legal framework,
welcome new legislation to foster gender equality (July 8, 2003)
The
Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women of the UN’s
General Assembly held a meeting on July 8, 2003, discussing the progress
in Japan’s legal framework. The meeting raised the “need for adequate
measures to care for Japan’s elderly female population given the
extremely long life expectancy rate”. A Japanese representative claimed,
with an average lifespan of 85 for women, the current social security
system provides sufficient insurance for elderly women in Japan.
Malta:
Elderly urged to report drivers who overcharge (July 8, 2003)
The
Malta government has advised the elderly to report any bus drivers who
charge higher rates than those established by law. To claim higher
subsidies, bus owners have been directed by their association to suspend
the discounted rates that retirees enjoy on bus travel. Instead of paying
a flat 10-cent rate, elderly people will be charged at the normal rate of
between 15 and 20 cents. The government has pledged legal action against
drivers who overcharge the elderly.
UK:
Over 60s reach for the mouse (July 8, 2003)
A
study shows that a growing number of the over 60s in UK are online and
using the internet on a regular basis. Favourite activities of these
so-called silver surfers, who represent 12% of internet users in UK, are
sending emails and collecting information. The research also found that
the number of internet users decreases with age, from 29% of 65 to
69-year-olds falling to 21% of 70 to 74-year-olds. Overall, a quarter of
those aged 60 or older use the net.
UK:
Making up for lost time (July 8, 2003)
Peter
Preston, guest editor of the Guardian and a senior citizen of UK, opens a
discussion of the power of the internet: it's supposed to be for kids, but
is it actually more powerful in the hands of those old enough to be
grandparents?
UK:
Pensioned off (July 8, 2003)
An
angry guest editor of the Guardian and also a UK senior citizen wonders
why life as a pensioner should be defined by a set of cliché. He writes
anonymously for fear of being set upon by Saga.
China:
Shanghai people have harmonious relationships among generations (July
3, 2003) (in Chinese)
A
new study suggests that more and more families in Shanghai, China are
three-person nuclear families. According to the survey, more than 80% of
families have harmonious relationships between the young and the elderly.
More Shanghai people are willing to provide economic assistance to their
elder parents; however, fewer choose to live with the elderly. (The
text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the
Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Singapore
Airline managers compensated for earlier retirement (July 3, 2003) (in
Chinese)
Singapore
Airline will grant compensation to managers who work at the company for
over 25 years and who opt for earlier retirement. Voluntary retirees will
receive one-month salary for every year of service at the company and four
free airline tickets. Singapore Airlines laid off 414 employers in early
June. (The text is in
Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer
Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Brazil:
The “passe livre” law is unconstitutional (July 2, 2003) (in
Portuguese)
The Tribunal Justice Court of Rio de Janeiro decided
that the “passe livre” law was unconstitutional in July 1, 2003. The
law 3.339/99 gives free metro and bus tickets to public school students,
elderly over 65 years old and people with physical disabilities. The
decision, however, will be effective in August, after the judiciary
recess, when the new decision will have been posted in the “Diario
Oficial”. Consequently, this will be a set back to elderly people.
(The
text is in Portuguese.)
UK: Age discrimination to be outlawed
(July 2, 2003)
Government proposals that could see millions of people working until
they are 70 have been unveiled. Under
the new proposals employers would not be allowed to stipulate the required
ages for a job or to tell older employees they did not qualify for
training schemes. Furthermore, employers would not set compulsory
retirement ages for staff, allowing people to work until they were 70.
Malawi:
Group walks 50 km to raise funds for elderly (June 30, 2003)
A
Malawi group for elderly people organized a record-breaking distance walk
of 50 kilometres from Namadidi Turn Off (Seveni Mailosi) in Zomba to Limbe
in an effort to raise funds to buy blankets for over 210 elderly people
being cared for by the group. The group’s financial adviser said that
they had one elderly person who died of exposure to cold weather.
The group was short of financial resources to provide better care
for them and turned to fund-raising for the elder cause.
China:
Grandpa admitted to college ( June 29, 2003) (in Chinese)
A
63 year old grandpa from Zhejiang Province, China passed the college
entrance examination. Never having married, Weimin Zhou waited forty years
and finally fulfilled his dream of higher education.
He was not able to take the entrance examination due to age limit
until 2001 when the age limit was lifted by China Higher Education
Department. (The text is
in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet
Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Philippines:
QC dads eye free movies for elderly (June 28, 2003)
In
Quezon City, Philippines, seniors will soon be able to watch movies for
free. A landmark ordinance seeking to increase the privileges Quezon City
gives to senior citizens “to make life more livable in their sunset
years.” The proposal will give old residents of Quezon City a
100-percent discount in all local moviehouses filed at the city council.
Singapore:
Call for council setup to help the handicapped, elderly and young (June
26, 2003)
The
Singapore government will set up a National Council on Accessibility to
help the less mobile in Singapore
get around more easily. Their focus is on the elderly, the handicapped and
those with young children. They intend to secure accessibility from
home to destination and back.
India:
Television fails to address the concerns of the elderly (June 25, 2003)
Aging people in India
increasingly are being left alone, prompting them to seek refuge in their
TV sets. However, a study shows that TV programmes rarely present
solutions for how the elderly could cope with this loneliness and the
problems they face.
Africa:
Meeting Notes Increasing Abuse of Rights of the Elderly (June 24, 2003)
A three-day meeting regarding
the elderly in Africa noted rising violations of rights of older people,
and recommended formulation of country policies to effectively address
their concerns. The meeting, organised by HelpAge International (HelpAge)
from June 10 to 12, brought together a technical working group of various
organisations working with older people in 10 African countries. According
to HelpAge International, "the pervading attitude among many people
is that older persons have outlived their usefulness, are unproductive and
over-dependent, and have not rights to claim."
Northern
China Province Adopts Rules for Seniors (June
23, 2003)
Shanxi,
a northern province of China, established new rules to better protect the
rights of senior citizens. According to the rules passed in late May,
senior citizens in the province will enjoy various privileges, including
free visits to local parks and museums, priority to buy public
transportation tickets and to see a doctor, free legal assistance for the
poor elderly. The new rules will take effect on July 1.
Cuba: A second home for the elderly
(June 23, 2003)
In Cuba, most of the elderly
live with their children or other relatives who may be spending the entire
day outside the home, working or studying. Rehabilitation and recreation
day care centers called Casas del Abuelo (literally Grandparent’s
Houses) is one option to help these isolated older people. Throughout the
country, at least one such center exists in every municipality, and all of
them provide socially relevant support to the hundreds of thousands of
people who go there. Despite low incomes, Cuba’s population lives longer
than most Western Hemisphere countries, thanks to excellent social
programs.
Japanese
Group seeks to prevent abuse of elderly (June 23, 2003)
Unable
to cope with the burden of looking after the elderly, many Japanese
families physically abuse them or cease caring for them. To study the
state of abuse and consider preventative measures, a Japanese association
for the prevention of abuse of the elderly will be established in August.
The first such organization in this country, it aims to protect the human
rights of elderly people who have been abused and promote measures to
assist families and nursing-care service providers.
Colombia's
elderly targeted increasingly in kidnappings (June 22, 2003)
Lacking younger victims,
abductors in Colombia turn to seniors to extract more ransoms. For the
past two years, at least 55 people older than age 65 have been held by
rebels. The oldest known victim in captivity is an 84-year-old man. They
are among those least able to cope with the rigors of being held in the
jungles and freezing mountains of Colombia.
Hidden abuse of elderly emerging problem for Japan
(June 21, 2003)
The stresses of modern life,
compounded by a 13-year economic slump, appear to be contributing to a
growing number of abuse cases in Japan. It is a problem that has been
largely hidden, partly because of the shame it brings on families. The
government has commissioned a national survey on abuse of the elderly at
home and the findings are expected to help the government decide an
“appropriate system of intervention”.
Two
thirds of Latin American elderly has no pension (June 21, 2003) (in
Chinese)
In
Latin America and Caribbean areas, only one in three people of 60 years
and older is covered by pension, according to the Conference on Aging
Issues in Latin America and Caribbean Areas held in Santiago, Chile on
June 18-20. Most of the elderly without pensions are women. The region has
over 45 million older people, 44 percent of whom are living below the
poverty line. (The text
is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet
Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Taiwan:
Stipend for the disabled elderly reduced (June 20, 2003) (in Chinese)
An
organization for the welfare of the disabled in Jinmen County, Taiwan
criticized that the government reduced the stipend for the disabled
elderly. The government reduced the monthly stipend from 2,000-3,000
Taiwan dollars to 1,800 Taiwan dollars if the elderly has other form of
welfare stipend. This new regulation affects the disabled elderly most.
The Social Department says that it will search for possibility to make
improvements for the disabled elderly.
(The text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the
Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Japan:
10 percent consumption tax eyed to cover costs for elderly (June 17, 2003)
To
cover the rising costs of Japan’s aging population, the government’s
Tax Commission advised to double the 5-percent consumption tax and trim
tax breaks for the elderly. The commission believed that the
“consumption tax should be hiked to 10 percent or more in the future
because the government needed to construct stable revenue structures to
smoothly provide public services such as welfare programs.”
Japanese
peak in old age (June 16, 2003)
With
the longest life expectancy in the world and one of the lowest birthrates,
Japan is aging faster than any country on earth. Government figures
released last week showed that the number of people aged over 75 exceeded
10 million for the first time last year. The total population is expected
to start shrinking within the next three years due to low birth rate.
Luckily, the elderly have never been healthier or more energetic, and
surveys suggest that two out of three elderly people are happy to keep
working.
Japanese Government to study abuse of elderly
(June 16, 2003)
The
Japanese Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry will conduct the first
nationwide survey on negligence and abuse of the elderly who require home
nursing care. The Institute for Health Economics and Policy will conduct
the survey with a sample of 20,000 abuse cases. The ministry will issue
the result and establish preventative measures later this year.
New Zealand: Elderly want politicians to listen
(June 14, 2003)
The
increased cost of power in Timaru, New Zealand concerns the elderly. Although
they cannot strike to get a fair deal, withdrawing their voluntary
community services could be a way to make the Government deal with their
concerns over increasing power costs and the uncertainty of supply.
Japan
continues fast aging process with 10 million elderly over 75 (June 11,
2003) (in Chinese)
The
aging population in Japan continues to grow, with more than 10 million
older people over 75. Japan now has 23 million elderly over 65, consisting
of 18.5% of the total population. The government estimates that by 2020
one in four Japanese will be over 65 years old. (The text is in Chinese.
To read the Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese
language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Ireland:
Call for new laws to protect elderly (June 10, 2003)
According
to the Law Reform Commission in Ireland, an
outdated and expensive legal system designed to protect vulnerable elderly
people should be scrapped and replaced with a new, more flexible public
guardian's office. The current ward of court system allows a ward
of court order to be made to the elderly who are mentally incapable. A new
guardian system should offer greater protection against abuse of the
elderly, whether physical, financial or as a result of neglect.
New Zealand: Taranaki's elderly have support to stay
home (June 10, 2003)
The
New Zealand Minister for Senior Citizens said that the nation’s over-65s
were not offered services that provided them with the essential link
between their homes and their communities. In response to this comment, a
New Plymouth-based non-profit private organisation established Access
Ability program in Taranaki. With this program, Taranaki's elderly have
extensive support systems in place to ensure they can choose to stay in
their homes rather than go into rest home care.
Taiwan
elderly calls for stipend (June 10, 2003) (in Chinese)
As
Taiwan legislature passed a bill to allow some government pensioners extra
stipend without deducting it from their pensions, thousands of the elderly
called the government to ask when they will be allowed to do so. Local
governments are expected to implement this bill no later than late July.
However, local officials said that it would take some time to
implement this bill since many administrators are still not clear about
the details of the bills. (The text is in Chinese. To read the
Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language
pack or NJ star communicator.)
UK: Inquiry 'to lift lid' on elderly care crisis
(June 9, 2003)
The
Bloucestershire County Council in UK ordered a public inquiry into the
death of an 88-year-old woman five days after she was forced to move from
her care home due to a fee increase. The old lady’s GP said she died
from “a chest infection and acute stress and reaction brought by the
move.” Opening today, the inquiry, the first of its kind, is expected to
“lift the lid” on the crisis in long-term care of the elderly in UK.
Australia:
Elderly soon to outstrip children (June 6, 2003)
A
population expert in the University of Tasmania, Australia, said that
Tasmania would have more elderly people than
children within a decade. She also said that Tasmania would experience
more deaths than births from about 2020 and this natural population
decline could not be overcome through "replacement" migration.
Supporting
Intergenerational Relationships: Implications for policy development (June
5, 2003)
Robert
Huber, a UN official, spoke about intergenerational issues on June 5, 2003
in a meeting of the NGO Committee on Ageing in New York City. He said that
UN is seeking to “combine a traditional ‘advocacy-based’ support for
social groups with a new ‘intergenerational’ perspective that promotes
communication and common agendas.”
Mr. Huber is UN Chief of Generational Issues and Integration
Section in the Division for Social Policy and Development.
China
National Committee on Ageing established “Silver Age Action” for
well-educated elderly (June 5, 2003) (in Chinese)
China
National Committee on Ageing established the Silver Age Action program to
organize well-educated elderly to assist the development in the western
China. This program mainly aims to provide retired educated elderly in Eastern
China a chance to help the Western development with their knowledge and
intellectual capabilities. (The text is in Chinese. To read the
Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language
pack or NJ star communicator.)
Norway:
Elderly drivers face tougher standards (June 4, 2003)
The
Public Roads Directorate wants to remove elderly drivers that really
shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car and will now tighten medical
demands for drivers over the age of 70. Only doctors who have completed a
special course will be able to clear aged drivers for a new license.
As
Japan grays, it looks to its elderly for inspiration (June 3, 2003)
With
an estimated one in four citizens to be aged 65 or older in the country by
2020, aging stars are playing a greater role in Japanese society. The society
is getting a morale boost from elderly stars including a centenarian bar
hostess, a prominent doctor in his 90s and a 70-year-old who became the
oldest person to conquer Mount Everest.
Taiwan:
Parties agree to loosen the eligibility for elderly stipend (June
2, 2003) (in Chinese)
Taiwan legislature is considering a bill to loosen the eligibility for
welfare stipends for the elderly, which all parties reached agreement on.
The Democratic Progress Party has yet to sign on the bill because it
doesn’t agree the source of the budget. Representatives of Kuo Ming Tang
(National Party) said that the legislature would vote on the bill this
Friday if DPP still refuse to sign. (The text is in Chinese. To read the
Chinese article, please install the Internet Explorer Chinese language
pack or NJ star communicator.)
UK:
Isolated elderly are invited to step out (June 2, 2003)
Research shows that a million people in the UK feel trapped in their own
home. Many older people become confined to their homes due to low income,
poor health, and fear of crime. One fifth of older people are so concerned
about their finances that they will rarely use the telephone or go out on
social occasions. The "Stepping Out" initiative offers
discounted travel and activities to isolated, lonely older people to
promote "active aging".
The Old Boys (and Girls) from Brazil (May
2003)
The
proportion of Brazil's elderly is increasing more rapidly than that of
children. In 1980 there were 16 elderly for every 100 children. In 2000,
there were 30 elderly for every 100 children. The Catholic Church in
Brazil is focusing its attention on them, this year.
Canada:
Tories introduce bill on forced retirement would
let seniors work past 65 (May 30, 2003)
The
Ontario government took steps to end mandatory retirement at age 65. The
government was announced the move in its April 30 throne speech. It is
welcomed by seniors groups but has met opposition from employers and
unions.
Phone
fraudsters swindle elderly with 'It's me' ruse (May 30, 2003)
Japan - Police are on the hunt for a group of about 10 people
who are duping elderly people out of millions of yen by pretending to be
relatives, and then telling them they have caused accidents they need to
pay for.
Taiwan:
Taipei Congressman criticizes city reducing elder welfare (May 29, 2003)
(in Chinese)
Jiaqing,
Xu, a Taipei City Congressman, criticized the city government reducing the
elder welfare illegally. Xu said that the government reduced the monthly
welfare stipend by 10,000 to 15,000 Taiwan dollars by converting nursing
stipends into the housing stipend. City officials explained that stipend
is designed to assist nursing institutions, not the elderly directly. (The
text is in Chinese. To read the Chinese article, please install the
Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
Singapore: College graduates design special mechanics for elderly (May 30,
2003) (in Chinese)
To
improve the life quality of the elderly, graduates of Singapore University
of Technology and Science have designed 15 special mechanical devices for
their daily use. These devices help the elderly with some simple housework
as well as daily exercises so that they don’t have to rely on family
members or nursing homes for help. (The text is in Chinese. Please install
Internet Explorer Chinese language pack or NJ star communicator.)
UK:
Village for elderly gets green light (May 28, 2003)
In
Litchfield, UK, a £15 million "pensioners' village" will be
built to provide 150 sheltered homes for frail or elderly people. The
village will allow residents to live independently, but care workers will
be available to provide 24-hour assistance. It will include a gym, Jacuzzi
and steam room as well as a bar, restaurant, village hall, general store
and hairdressing salon.
UK: Fear of crime 'trapping
elderly' (M
ay 23, 2003)
A
survey by Age Concern, a leading British charity, indicates that almost 50
percent of the elderly aged over 75 were afraid of leaving their homes
after dark. Two thirds of them believed that they would inevitably become
victims of crime, as they got older. Although a study showed that people
aged over 60 are less likely to become victims of crime than those in
other age groups, the elderly were found to be worried about crime and
personal safety. How can we help the elderly overcome their fears while
improving the safety for the elderly?
Elderly anti-logging
protester stays in jail (May 22, 2003)
In an emotional statement to B.C. Supreme Court
Thursday, the 74-year-old great grandmother refused to sign an RCMP
undertaking promising not to block loggers in the Walbran Valley on
Vancouver Island. "I don't think this court has ever heard the
complaints of the people of British Columbia," Krawczyk, who
represented herself, "The way our forests are being trashed ... the
court colludes in that."
Special chairs for the elderly (May 21, 2003)
Bahrain - The American Women's Association (AWA) presented two reclining
chairs, specially designed for the elderly, to the American Mission
Hospital (AMH) yesterday. The presentation was made at a special ceremony
at the hospital.The event coincided with the hospital's celebration of
International Nurses Week.
Health
Care
Eludes Veterans (May 21, 2003)
Two
and a half years ago, World War II veteran Ernesto Tafoya decided to
enroll as a new patient in the Veterans Health Administration system. His
hearing was failing and his back was giving him trouble. Many of his
friends who were VA patients were getting drug prescriptions filled at
dirt-cheap prices. It seemed like a good deal. Tafoya, 77, is still
waiting for the VA to give him a doctor's appointment.
Lack of aid affects
N.K. children, elderly
(May 21, 2003)
Shortage of foreign aid has resulted in mass starvation of elderly and
children in North Korea. As reported by U.N high ranking official the
situation is highly critical. "I believe that only South Korea's
assumption of a leading role in helping the starving North Korean people
will galvanize other countries to subsequently extend aid to them,"
she said.
Asia’s
ageing population stretching resources
(May 20, 2003)
Asia is described as the world’s most
rapidly ageing region. One estimate is that by the year 2050, Asia will be
home to almost two-thirds of the world’s population of people over 60
and many will age in poverty. Due to longer life expectancies and falling
birth rates, Asia is rapidly getting older. In many parts of the region
the concepts of retirement and pensions barely exist.
Making Ends Meet Not an Easy Task for Elderly (May 19, 2003)
These are not the best of times for Russian pensioners,
especially those who have been retired for some time. Older pensioners
can't help comparing their current plight with the Soviet era, when a full
pension of 132 rubles paid the bills with enough left over to help
supplement their grandchildren's student stipends.
Advocates
for elderly see care bills as a success (May 19, 2003)
Hawaii
- When advocates for the elderly talk about this year's legislative
session, their words are laden with relief. They got what they wanted — bills that protect
Hawai'i's seniors and punish those who abuse and neglect them — but it
took weeks of packed hearings, heated debate and last-minute compromises.
UK:
Racism and quality of life of older people (May 19, 2003)
The
impact of racism should be properly considered when attempts are made to
measure the quality of life of older people among Britain's ethnic
minorities, according to a report on new research sponsored by the
Economic & Social Research Council. Experience of racism was one of
the clearest differences to emerge from a study of more than 200 older
people led by Jabeer Butt of the REU, Britain's leading charity aimed at
promoting race equality in social work and social care services for black
and minority ethnic communities.
Korean
lawmaker champions elderly (May 19, 2003)
A Korean reformist lawmaker
yesterday submitted a proposal to the National Assembly aimed at
preventing widespread abuses of elderly people's rights. Representative
Kim Hong-shin of the opposition Grand National Party said he aims to
increase the number of state-run nursing centers for senior citizens and
encourage them to report any rights violations to law enforcement
authorities.
UK:
Don't force us to work beyond 60, say senior officials (May 16, 2003)
Britain’S
top civil servants stepped up their opposition yesterday to government
proposals to raise their retirement age from 60 to 65. The First
Division Association, which represents the 3,000 senior civil servants,
backed a motion opposing a common retirement age of 65 for all public
sector workers. It also supported proposals to work with other public
sector unions to stop the implementation of the new pension age.
Malawi:
for the poorest, food is still a problem (May 15, 2003)
In Malawi, life is precarious
among the poorest and many people are still short of food for certain
season. The Elderly People’s Association of Malawi (EPA) develops day
care centers to encourage older people to help themselves and to find
alternative ways for income. EPA also provides food assistance for the
elderly through day care centers.
Budget
disappoints nurses, farmers, students (May 14, 2003)
Australia - NSW Health
Minister Morris Iemma today vowed to help elderly people languishing in
the state's hospitals who should be in federal government-funded nursing
home beds. Mr Iemma said there was nothing in the federal budget for aged
care and he would take the matter into his own hands.
At home on a tip site (May 14, 2003)
Western Australia - They have few rights. They are not allowed to eat
vegetables grown in their gardens or sink a bore. They have to pay much
more for power than the rest of the community, pets and public meetings
are frowned on and the earth under their mobile homes is sinking. They are
Fremantle's dump dwellers, a mostly elderly community of retired public
servants, nurses, teachers, engineers, authors and painters living on one
of the State's forgotten and badly polluted tip sites in South Fremantle.
Chinese in Japan increase rapidly, mitigating Japan's aging problem
(May 14, 2003)
In Japan, the population of Chinese youth has
increased rapidly in recent years, mitigating the aging problem that the
Japanese society is facing. Statistics
shows that there are 71,807 Chinese decedents under the age of 15 in
Japan. Youth with Chinese
passport in Japan has also doubled from 17,109 to 32,880 in the past 10
years. (The text is in Chinese.)
Australia:
Growth in Commonwealth Funding for Aged Care (May 13, 2003)
In
Australia, total Commonwealth Government funding for aged and community
care has grown from some $3.0 billion in 1995-96 to a projected $6.0
billion next year (2003-04) – an increase of around 100 per cent. The
2003-04 Budget represents an increase of $330 million over the 2002-03
Budget outlay of $5.7 billion.
Too
old for a nurse (May 13, 2003)
The British government is under pressure to clarify who should finance
long-term nursing care amid mounting criticism that chronically sick and
frail elderly people have been forced to pay for care that should be free.
Since the community care reforms of the early 1990s, there has been
confusion about the financing responsibility of nursing care for the
elderly.
Increasingly, health authorities are refusing to fund the long-term care
of elderly and chronically sick people. It saves money, but is it legal?
Elderly
get a taste of the net (May 13, 2003)
At
75 locations around the U.K., Age Concern is offering free net taster
sessions in a bid to help older people overcome any worries they have
about using web browsers and e-mail. Net-savvy older folks will be on hand
during the sessions to help novices and offer advice.
Consulting
Africa's Elders On Conflict Issues (May 12, 2003)
Civil wars in West Africa and Africa, apart from destroying human lives
and property, have painted a bad image for the continent worldwide. Gone
are the days when kids use to get up in buses in order for adults to sit
down. In this day and age where poverty has led to child delinquency and
many children under the influence of drugs and even participating in civil
wars, one may ask if asking for adults to mediate in conflicts will make
an impact. Even in Ghana where respect for elderly counsel is still highly
upheld in many areas, the concept of Council of Elders has failed to even
solve internal political wrangling.
Russia
celebrates Victory Day (May 11, 2003)
Moscow - World War II veterans donned their medals
Friday for parades and parties celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany
58 years ago, while today's servicemen marched on Red Square's
cobblestones in the centerpiece of a holiday President Vladimir Putin
called "great and sacred" for Russia. Putin said the
"priceless unity" that enabled the allies to defeat Hitler is
needed again for the fight against terrorism. In Chechnya, an explosion
that killed a Russian police officer and wounded two others served as a
grim reminder that war is as much a part of the country's present as its
past.
Pensioner from Kazan has been sponsoring
Mausoleum of Lenin for four years (May 6, 2003) (in Russian)
In Russia,
89-year old Hero of the Soviet Union, Michael Simonov has been
transferring money to scientists responsible for the preservation of
Lenin’s body. The termination of government funds to maintain the
Mausoleum of Lenin has prompted alternative suggestions of burial of
Lenin’s body and closure of this historical monument. Mr. Simonov,
protests to that “I completely disagree with those who suggest to bury
Lenin! Mausoleum and Lenin himself are integrating part of our history! In
hundreds of years, people will be coming to look at the leader!” Mr.
Simonov, as said by his family, is fond of sponsorship, from his pension
of the veteran; he often sends donations to local orphanages and recently
invested 1000 rubles in a children’s library. (Full text is in Russian.)
Help
stop care home from closing (May 6, 2003)
Norfolk
County Council in U.K. has earmarked a care home for closure, with its
elderly residents set to be moved into a housing with care scheme in
Sprowston. The authority is set to make a decision on whether to close it
as part of a cost cutting measure on May 19. But John Philp, who heads the
Save our Springdale campaign (SOS), believes doing so would cause
unnecessary disruption to frail pensioners.
Pensioners unite in bus pass fight (May
06, 2003)
Hartfordshire, UK - Pensioners' pressure groups in Borehamwood are
stepping up the campaign for free bus travel and they have Tony Blair's
Government in their sights. Several groups from the town are joining
forces to form the Hertsmere Elderly People's Forum, and yesterday sent a
letter of complaint to Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Park Closure Tough on Retirees (May 06, 2003)
Australia - Where do you
go if your home is a "permanent” caravan, you live on a pension and
rely on public transport...but your park is being closed down? Ocean Pines
is one of around 30 caravan parks throughout the area which are currently
in the process of closing down, or being converted from residential parks
to tourism usage.
Reliving
Nightmares of Another Baghdad War (May 05, 2003)
Ms. Nuha al-Radi's shares her experience of Iraq during
the Gulf War in her book "Baghdad Diaries”. "Anyone over 50
years old is told that there are no medicines," Ms. Radi writes.
"Doctors want to keep what little there is for younger
patients." Burglaries, kidnappings and thefts snowball in the wake of
the war, and it becomes increasingly hard for many people to make a
living…Is the current situation any better?
Elderly
in Japan (May 2, 2003) (in Russian)
They have initiated an interesting experiment in Japan. The elderly
people are invited to work at schools in order to keep them active in the
community. Children who have been living surrounded by computers since a young age,
enjoy talking and doing things with the elderly. Older people teach them
ancient arts, martial arts, cooking and other interesting activities.
Elderly share their life experience and knowledge with kids. They are not
paid for the lessons, but according to their words, they get an opportunity to interact with children. (Full text is in
Russian.)
Elderly
unionists arrested for holding meeting in Negros (April 30, 2003)
A militant
sugar-cane workers’ union slammed the alleged illegal arrest and
detention of two of its elderly members in northern Negros, one of whom
hosted a meeting to discuss their problems and to plan for the annual
Labor Day commemorations. Adelina Paglinawan, 70, and Dalmacio Castro, 55,
both members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW), were
“forcibly arrested” in hacienda Amparo, barangay Mabini, Escalante
City, around 5:30 a.m. on April 27 by 14 members of the city police.
Care
home closures 'akin to abuse of the elderly' (April 29, 2003)
UK - Nurses told yesterday of the trauma faced by elderly residents
of care homes that are being forced to close because the government and
local authorities have failed to pay enough for their upkeep. The Royal
College of Nursing voted overwhelmingly to lobby the government to
increase the level of fees paid to local authorities and care homes, after
hearing evidence that the eviction of people in their 80s and 90s was
"tantamount to a policy of abuse of the elderly".
BEST bows to demands of elderly,
disabled (April 29, 2003)
Acknowledging the special needs of the disabled and elderly, a
new designer bus just stepped off its pedestal, shedding all of 185 mm, to
assist these passengers.Called a ‘low-floor bus’ by the Brihanmumbai
Electric Supply and Transport undertaking (BEST), it will hit the road on
Wednesday.
Power savings slammed Elderly
‘already frugal’(April 29, 2003)
New Zealand - Grey Power chairman George Groombridge said elderly
people were already frugal power users, and asking for further savings
could lead to health problems. “ Why is the Government imposing this on
the elderly? We’re quite concerned because it’s a blanket cover and
that’s disturbing. “You can have people who are trying to stay warm by
not using electricity and that of course causes all sorts of problems.”
Ukrainians honour
Chernobyl dead, but veterans complain (April 26, 2003)
Hundreds of
Ukrainians gathered Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of the
Chernobyl disaster, the world's worst nuclear accident which took place
exactly 17 years ago, but many veteran firefighters complained bitterly
they had been forgotten. Their pensions "have lost 16 percent
of their value since the mid-1990s, and they now receive on average just
220 hryvnias (37 euros, 41 dollars) a month.
Call to ban
doorstep salesmen (April 23, 2003)
The announcement was made by the Trading Standards Institute
(ITS) that door-to-door sales must be banned. ITS chief executive, Ron
Gainsford, said pensioners are particularly vulnerable to criminals
passing themselves off as roofers, gardeners, or plumbers; who often leave
false names and addresses so that they cannot be traced. "With the
rising aged population and increased home ownership, this is an area long
overdue for strict legal control," said Gainsford.
Across
the Former Soviet Union (April 21, 2003)
Feeding the elderly has been the core of Jewish welfare activities
in many post-Soviet countries. Now, in Moldova at least, it’s time to
feed the children. Among those who have benefited is Yulia Litivinova, age
12. She lives with her grandmother, who has taken care of her since she
was born. Her mother left Yulia at the maternity ward when the infant was
diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. The grandmother and granddaughter
— who is homebound — live on state pensions that total $23. More than
half of the money goes for medicine.
Queen
pays her Maundy dues to elderly (April 18, 2003)
In an annual
ceremony that has its origins in Christ’s washing of the disciples’
feet at the Last Supper, the Queen distributed purses of money yesterday
to 154 pensioners in Gloucester Cathedral.
Elderly
women in village fight (April 16, 2003)
Two frail, elderly women are locked in a bitter battle with the retirement
village they have lived in for 16 years. The feud has made the women's
health deteriorate and has almost forced them out of their homes.
Elderly
abuse growing as quickly as aging population, experts warn (April 15,
2003)
The world's
population is aging faster than before, and so are abuse and neglect of
the elderly, the head of the World Health Organization's Aging and Health
Program told a Montreal conference on elder abuse yesterday. "There
are more old people in the world, and fewer and fewer younger people to
provide care for them. So, rich or poor, we are experiencing growing
world-wide intolerance, discrimination, neglect, and verbal and physical
abuse of the elderly."
Elderly
become "muti" targets (April 15, 2003)
Help Age, a global NGO focusing on the rights of the aged, says
it will send a team to Malawi to investigate elderly slaughter cases and
conduct a survey into the welfare of old people in the country.
Elderly
start Songkran early (April 11, 2003)
Today, about 200 elderly people
and 14 retired officers joined in traditional Songkran activities at
Wachira Hospital this afternoon. Songkran is officially celebrated
this year on April 12,
but the festival actually takes place over a period of four days. Each
year, the four-day celebration of Songkran consists of many activities and
The Pouring of Water ritual is one of
them.
Elderly NHS 'charges'
scrapped (April 09, 2003)
Benefit cuts imposed on British pensioners, disabled and other
people who stay long-term in NHS hospitals are to be scrapped, Gordon
Brown has announced. "It's a hotel charge imposed on one of the most
vulnerable groups in our society. For
everyone else in our country, other than those on pensions and benefits,
hospital care is entirely free of charge.”
Elderly
prove they still have what it takes (April 07, 2003)
Elderly
Thai people in Krabi have shown that age is no bar to business ability by
first accepting a challenge and then investing in an oil palm plantation
which now makes a profit. ``We are old, yet we can still serve our
motherland,'' says Mr Winij , a 76 year old former chairman of the Krabi
Network of the Elderly.
Money
can talk faster than reforms. Homes
for seniors not all created equal (April 2nd, 2003)
This article reflects diverse problems that the
homes for seniors in Japan face today. The introduction of the
nursing-care insurance system in April 2000 was a big plus for both homes
and their residents. Financed by taxes and premiums from people over age
40, the system gives financial backing to both private and public
institutions to provide care-related services. The article also mentions
cases of abuse and rights violation and how competent authorities
addressed them.
Report from New York Nonprofit Organization
No.5: Global Action on Aging " http://www2.osk.3web.ne.jp/~osakanpo/musubi6.htm
There are thousands
of nonprofit organizations in New York. Among those organizations, Global
Action on Aging has a small office in the UN building but plays
significant role of advocacy on global aging.
Former GAA intern, Hiromi M. Wimalasiri, wrote about our organization in a Japanese article of the
Osaka Nonprofit Center. (full text in Japanese)
Sweden: Promoting Excellence in Elderly Care for Deaf Signers
(March 2003)
Sweden is one of the leading European countries in promoting awareness for accessibility rights for Deaf people. Gertrud Högström wrote a report, “Signing Elderly Deaf People in Norrland,” for the Swedish National Association of the Deaf. This website is an English summary of the report, written in Swedish. The report talks about the special needs of elderly Deaf people and what the government has done to respond to their needs as well as what remains to be done.
Dar Es Salaam Tells African Americans: Come
and Retire Here (March 31, 2003)
Dar Es Salaam Tells African
Americans: Come and Retire Here. Tanzania hopes to attract foreign
investment from the African diaspora in the United States by promoting
Florida-style retirement homes around Lake Victoria. The US-based
organization Africa United Against AIDS Globally led a group of wealthy
African Americans to East Africa to discuss this and other investment
opportunities. (East African (Nairobi))
WFP hopes Iraq war lasts no more than 6 weeks
(March 31, 2003)
The World Food Program expressed concern that food in Iraq would run out
if the US-led war lasted more than five or six weeks, leaving most
vulnerable groups, particular elderly and children, without humanitarian
aid.
Latest UN population figures in
interactive database online
The latest United Nations
population figures (World Population Prospects: The 2002 Revision) are now
available online as an interactive database.
A
Mai-Décembre Romance, Rekindled Onscreen (March 30, 2003)
French actress Jeanne Moreau, born in 1928, continues to play great
movie roles. In the recent "Cet Amour-Là," which is based on a
true story of one of France's greatest 20th-century writers, Marguerite
Duras, she portrays a woman in her mid-60's having an affair with a man in
his 20's.
Banks deny older people credit
(March 29, 2003)
Age Concern, the British charity
for the elderly, says that there is evidence of discrimination by
financial services companies. It says older people are often refused
finance after a certain age, in part because the Consumer Credit Act 1974
does not prevent lenders from discriminating on the basis of age.
Is this the next scandal? (March
29, 2003)
The home reversion schemes allow seniors to get cash from their assets,
supplementing their income. But poor regulation of this market from the
Financial Service Authority, UK, creates possibilities for the elderly
being cheated, and prevents providers from entering the market.
Elderly
reflect on China's transformation (March 28, 2003)
In a high-rise
apartment, near a street where Shanghai's young people shop for European
fashions while chatting on cell phones, Zheng Jinlian summons memories of
a time when an emperor still ruled China. Her fine silver hair is neatly
combed atop a face furrowed by 103 years of life.
As Japan's Women Move Up, Many
Are Moving Out (March 25, 2003)
In Japan, divorces among older couples have been increasing in recent
years. Tomoko Masunaga, of Tama City, now 60 and an English teacher, wrote
a book about divorce when her marriage ended after 20 years.
Silver learners (March 25, 2003)
The recent UK study says that about one in nine
in the group ‘over 55’ is currently enrolled in learning. Studying
modern languages and computers rank higher among their courses. The main
point of the research is that politicians, probably, underestimate the
benefits of educating older people.
Without walls (March 19, 2003)
A project in Dorset, UK, resulting from the
collaboration between primary care and social service agencies, provides a
new type of care assistance for seniors, best described as "homecare with a rehab attitude."
Providing care in patients’ homes helps to unblock hospital beds and
prevents avoidable hospital admissions of older people.
'Panic
person' gives peace of mind (March 17, 2003)
If you live far away from your older parents, that doesn't mean that
there isn't a way to care for them. A geriatric-care consultant offers
unique services in Montreal: she assesses the needs of her clients'
elderly parents and secures services for them, acting as their patient
advocate.
Work longer, says EU (March 17,
2003)
The European Union is to issue a stark warning to Britons that they should
be prepared to forget early retirement and work longer. The most
comprehensive look at member states pensions will be presented at a key EU
summit this week. Its main conclusion: workers should not be encouraged to
take up early retirement.
Elderly getting “inadequate”
primary care (March 14, 2003)
According to the primary care study, many
elderly patients in the UK may be receiving inadequate medical care,
particularly those in nursing homes.
Germany, Japan add
jobs for elderly care (March 4, 2003)
Rising numbers of old people may become a drag on
economic growth. For example, over the past four years, employment in
health-care services has increased 7.9 percent in Germany. Farms,
factories and stores in Japan, Germany and the US pared workforces last
year. However, service jobs can stimulate the economy as employees use
their earnings to make purchases.
La
grand-mère moderne : question de distance ! (February 28, 2003)
Grandmothers'
next generation will be strongly determined by the specific link which the
women tie up around the children management.
If
was needed a word to define the grandmother, it would be the
"distance", the one that she observes in the relation with her
grandchildren.
Time
for Marketers to Grow Up? (February 27, 2003)
Multinational
companies are forced to define new strategies to face the aging of the
population worldwide but some still prefer to concentrate on the high
potential of youth market in the developing countries.
Leveraging
the Age Gap (February 27, 2003)
The Federal
Reserve chairman appears before a Senate committee to explore the impact
of global aging on the economy. The major issue is the wide gap between
the older population of the West and the vast working-age population of
the developing countries. With their younger populations, developing
countries might be in the position to take advantage of the so-called
“demographic dividend”: falling labor costs, a healthier and more
educated population, and the entry of millions of women into the work
force.
But
the picture isn't all rosy.
Court Puts Value At 175
Million Yen (February 25, 2003)
Retired wrestlers need to hold "oyakata-kabu"
(literally elder rights) if they wish to remain active in the Japan Sumo
Association. The Tokyo District Court ordered
the current head of the
Tatsunami sumo stable (former "sekiwake" Haguroyama, 69) to pay 175 million
yen to his predecessor in return for receiving his rights to operate the
stable.
We
have nationalized the elderly, as we are too busy to care for them
(February 21, 2003)
"When
Westerners get old and can't look after themselves, their families send
them off to live in big buildings. They visit them once a week, if that,
and let nurses do the rest. Sometimes, they forget them all together, and
old people die alone and crying for their families." That is what a
Middle East aged man told his children. The British author of this article
proves how much individualism has let us forget about our duties toward
the elderly in our western rich countries.
National
and International Cooperation
for
Social Development (February 12, 2003)
John Langmore, head of the International Labour Office Liaison Office in
New York, addressed how employment strategy in times of an economic
downturn can be used to revive the economy and meet the service needs of
the aged, youth and the disabled.
Statement
of Mrs. Faith D. Innerarity (February 12, 2003)
This is the statement of Mrs.
Faith D. Innerarity, Director of Social Security, Ministry of Labour and
Social Security, for the country of Jamaica, addressed at the 41st
Session of the UN Commission for Social Development on “National and
International Cooperation for Social Development, at the UN in New York.
Making Global Trade Work for People
A recent UNDP report appeals to multilateral
trade organizations to shift their focus away from promoting trade
liberalization and towards fostering development instead. The report cites
a lack of correlation between liberalization and high growth. This
document recommends adding four basic principles to the World Trade
Organizations’s agenda in order to achieve this objective. Poor working
conditions mean chronic poverty in old age.
National
and International Cooperation for Social Development (February 12, 2003)
John Langmore, head of the International Labour
Office Liaison Office in New York, addressed how employment strategy in
times of an economic downturn can be used to revive the economy and meet
the service needs of the aged, youth and the disabled.
Strikes are not included into job experience?
(February 10, 2003) (in Russian)
Ukrainian
miners-pensioners are going to start a lawsuit against the Pension Fund
because it did not count the time they were on strikes into the total
duration of their work experience. The peak of strikes was in 1997-98, and
recently some miners discovered, that they lack a few months of work to
receive pension benefits after years of dangerous and heavy physical work
conditions. None of those strikes was found illegal. But Pension Fund
authorities say that legislation does not reflect their service for these
periods and their benefit is thereby lowered.
"Troppo
filo-americani" (February 9, 2003)
The Pope is worried about the possible
consequences that a war in Iraq could have on the Iraqi population and on
the political equilibrium in the region. He doesn't seem satisfied with
the argument recently presented by the US Secretary of State Colin Powell
on the demonstrated existence of a link between the Iraqi government and
the international terrorist organization or the availability of weapons of
mass destruction. The Pope believes that a US military intervention
without the approval of the UN Security Council would mean the "end
of the United Nation system," a vital system that has guaranteed the
world stability in the last fifty years. He has also expressed criticism
toward the Italian government and its strong, unconditional support to the
US. War imposes terrible
consequences on unarmed civilians, including older persons.
Victims of Nazism have
received 406 millions EUR (February 7, 2003) (in Russian)
Senior
Ukrainians, who suffered during World War Two, continue to receive
compensation from Germany and Austria. So, by the January 1, 2003, some
326,796 victims have received 406 millions EUR. The official from the
Ukrainian Parliament points out that some victims, because of the
different circumstances, cannot prove their right to the compensation.
233,000
seniors in limbo on nurse care (February 6, 2003)
At least 233,000 elderly are on waiting lists to
enter special nursing-care homes in Japan. Ironically, the introduction in
2000 of the nursing-care insurance system could be behind the dramatic
rise in the number of seniors. Potential residents deal directly with the
nursing home.
Hospitals
accused of neglect in feeding elderly (February 3, 2003)
Age Concern Scotland, an English charity
organization, noticed that
“uneaten meals
were
re-moved from elderly patients' bedsides without checks on why they had
not had the food.” Scotland is working to find a way to increase
the number of nurses to promote better care.
British
pensioners got SMS-mania (February 3, 2003) (in Russian)
Senior ladies and gentlemen in Great Britain are
keen on mobile technologies no less than teenagers. Grandmothers and
grandfathers assert that SMS is no longer a prerogative of only the young
generation.
Participatory research
with older people: a sourcebook
“The importance of older people’s direct involvement in conducting
their own analysis and using their knowledge in advocacy and
decision-making is increasingly recognized.” Here are some case studies
drawn from the experience of HelpAge International’s partners and the
older people working with them.
Population Aging
in 2002
Here is the Population Ageing 2002 data in form of wall chart from the
United Nations Population Division.” It covers key indicators, such as
the number and percentage of older persons, life expectancy at age 60,
statutory retirement age, the percentage of older people in the labour
force, the potential support ratio, and the percentage of the older
population currently married.”
Gender and
transport for older people
This is an Help Age International Paper highlighting findings of
consultations with older women and men in over 30 countries. “Transport
was repeatedly referred to as a principal concern. Transport problems are
often related to older people’s lack of finances to pay for transport to
health centers, markets, pension collection points, meetings and social
activities, leading to increased feelings of isolation. As this population
group generally includes more women than men, these problems are
inevitably gendered.”
'Our
Loss Has Brought Us Together' (
January 30, 2003
)
As AIDS takes a heavy toll on the adult generations in
Africa
, grandparents and especially grandmothers are left in charge of their
orphan grandchildren, who sometimes suffer from AIDS themselves. These
families face intense social stigma and criticism, and often the
grandmother’s pension is the family’s only support for basic needs,
not to mention expensive treatment. To help grandmothers cope with the
pain and struggles of raising orphaned grandchildren, Sister Rose Letwaba
of the Alex-Tara Children's Clinic in
South Africa
started the “go-go support group.” Thirty grandmothers come to the
group to share experiences, support each other, and work on creative
projects.
Life
expectancy growth causes problems in Spain (January 27, 2003) (in Russian)
There are more than 5 thousands people aged above
100 years currently in Spain. Scientists predict that by the year 2020
there will be about 2 million aged from 80 to 85 who need care and
assistance.
Drug licensing is an expensive
pleasure (January 23, 2003) (in Russian)
Starting December 2002, Ministry of Health Care
of Russian Federation introduced mandatory drugs licensing to reduce
circulation of fake imported drugs, whose share had grown recently from 7
to 12-13%. Experts from the pharmaceutical industry predict that this will
result in price increases of 5-30%, and pensioners will suffer most, as
the prices for the cheapest drugs will increase most.
Scandal of elderly mugged by
post (January 22, 2003)
Elderly can suffer
from legalised muggings like lotteries as well as commission chasing life
insurance agents. Some lonely
elderly suffer from addiction to illegal lotteries and phony prize
schemes. But legal protection and restrictions have to be balanced against
civil liberties of the elderly, including “the freedom to spend their
money in ways others might think unwise.”
Komi. About 40 senior citizens
of Syktyvkar gave up there apartments to mayor’s office in exchange on
material help (January 21, 2003) (in Russian)
In 2002, 38 senior citizens of
Syktyvrar, Komi Republic, Russia, signed an agreement with city
administration for lifetime material support. In exchange they gave up the
property rights to their apartments for the benefit of the city. Each
pensioner receives additional 500-700 rubles a month, and the sum
increases to 800 for those who reach 75 years of age. Pensioners also can
get free food and drugs, be transported to the hospitals if needed, and
receive some other support. Officials say this service emerged in 1997,
and the demand currently exceeds city’s capacity to meet it.
Englishmen struggle for their right to die
(January 21, 2003) (in Russian)
A
scandal has inflamed Great Britain around euthanasia, after it became
known that Swiss doctors helped 74 years old Englishmen to voluntarily
die. The last four years he suffered from progressing
paralysis, and left for Switzerland shortly before his death, where
legislation regarding the euthanasia is more lenient
than in Britain.
Older Europeans are the biggest fans of
travel (January 19, 2003) (in Russian)
Milan, Italy, hosts the second international
exhibition “The Third Age in Tourism.” The growth of the number of
pensioners reflects on the travel business: the number of older people
make up 33% of tourists in Europe, they take 300 millions of tours a year,
and spend €13,5 billions for these purposes.
Elderly
and disabled will still get postal service (January 8, 2003)
Irish
seniors and handicapped persons will continue to receive their mail
delivered at home even if outside mailboxes are soon installed. The Irish Post office, to save about 35 million euros a year,
contracted for a supply of 500 000 mailboxes. Several political parties
asked the Government to give up this project because it would be a hard
blow for seniors with a risk of increasing isolation.
Wanted:
People over 60 (January 6, 2003)
In
Nakatsugawa-city, Japan, a local company manufacturing parts for home
electronic
appliances, was recruiting part-time workers but only motivated
people
aged 60 or over.
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