index 2012 06 25

WORLD

Spain: 1 in 3 Older Persons Help Their Family with Their Pension (June 15, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
As a result of the economic crisis, many individuals are unable to find work, and their retired parents are supporting them while they are unemployed. Due to inflation and the burden of family members, the savings accounts of 70% of parents have diminished. 20% of older persons do not eat fruit, meat or fish. Two out of every four older adults cannot maintain a comfortable temperature in their house, and 80% do not spend money on leisure or restful activities. The president of the Observatory of Vulnerability of the Red Cross (Observatorio de Vulnerabilidad de la Cruz Roja), Josep Marqués, described the necessity of preventing a domino effect, in which the problems of the elders influence the larger society.

United Kingdom: Doctors Face Ban on Denying Treatment to Elderly (June 11, 2012)
Beginning in October, healthcare practitioners in the UK will not be permitted legally to deny an individual treatment due to his age. In a 2011 report, the National Health Service failed to meet basic standards of care for individuals over 65 years of age, according to the Health Service Ombudsman. For instance, many older persons were denied food or drink. Some older adults were not washed or died alone because their next of kin had not been notified of their illness. This research indicates that older individuals are less likely to receive treatment than young people, sometimes resulting in their death.

Ukraine: Grandmothers from Nikolaev City Demand the Return of Their Dancing Place in “Nadezhda” (June 11, 2012)
(Article in Russian)
Many pensioners from Nikolaev city and nearby villages enjoyed dancing in a sports complex called “Nadezhda, ” twice weekly where they paid 3 hryvnas for this pleasure. But in March, the city government closed the place claiming that taxes for renting the complex had increased. Participants protested to the government but it didn’t produce any results. No more dances for the old people.

Mexico: The Quantity of Older Persons Grows But Not That of Geriatricians (June 11, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
Some 400 geriatricians are registered with the Mexican Council of Gerontology (el Consejo Mexicano de Geriatría); however, not all of these geriatricians have re-certified. According to World Health Organization predictions, Mexico needs about 10 times more geriatricians than are currently registered. Because of increasing life expectancies, in 15 years the Mexican health care system will encounter a shortage of geriatricians, according to Luis Miguel Gutiérrez.

Mexico: More Than 800,000 Older Persons Live in Poverty (June 14, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
Some 10.1 million persons of at least age 60 years populate Mexico and represent 9% of the total population. Seven million of these older adults live in poverty; among these, 800,000 elders survive on the extreme, low-income side of the spectrum. Diabetes is the principle cause of hospitalization and death. On the other hand, in a group of 100 older individuals, estimates suggest that 26 older adults will have some form of disability.

Ukraine: In Ten Years the Number of Pensioners and the Number of Citizens of Working Age Will Be Equal (June 11, 2012)
(Article in Russian)

Economics expert Oleg Ustenko emphasized that Ukraine still has the so-called Soviet system of “solidarity responsibility” that the employed citizens support a pensioner. He says that this system slows down economic development. Rather, he states that the pension system should be reformed not through increasing of the pension age but through the personal accumulation of income.

Spain: Swindlers of Older Persons with Poor Psychological Health Take Advantage of Power of Attorney to Appropriate Their Goods (June 9, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)

Swindlers habitually use the Power of Attorney to obtain the material goods of older persons, they may purchase the Power of Attorney for 80 to 90 Euros. They commit a range of crimes, from taking money out of the older person’s bank account to placing their own name on real estate. Notaries are unable to demonstrate that the abusers are guilty of these economic crimes, because they lack the tools to confirm their suspicions.

Russia: Pension Payments May Be Decreased from 30 to 28% (June 4, 2012)
(Article in Russian)
The Federal Ministries proposed their own individual designs for the development of a pension system in Russia. The Ministry of Economic Development suggests focusing on collecting payments and then cutting them from 30 to 28%. The Ministry of Finance proposed increasing the pension age to 63 years old. And the Ministry of Social Development wanted to assemble pension payments from many different sources.

India: Report on Elder Abuse in India (2012)
HelpAge India completed a report about elder abuse in India in honor of the first annual International World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Here are only a few of their salient findings:
More than two out of every five older persons studied are financially dependent on others; more than one half are financially dependent on the oldest son. Some 35% of the older adults studied report elder abuse. Another 51% feel neglected sometimes, while yet others (40%) feel neglected every day. Fifty-three percent of the older individuals studied did not take any actions to respond to the abuse; Nearly all (92%) of those older adults who were abused did not file a complaint against the abuser.

AGING WATCH

World: Dementia: A Public Heath Priority (2012)
The World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International jointly released a report on the global impact of dementia to encourage policymakers and others to address the impact of dementia. Additionally, the authors want to establish dementia as a global health issue. The report discusses epidemiology, current policy, health and social care systems, caregiving and care givers, public perception issues, and future courses of action.

GAA BLOG

Do You Know Your Status? (June 14, 2012)
According to UNAIDS, an estimated 1.2 million people now live with HIV/AIDS in the United States. About 20% of those infected (240,000 people) are unaware of their HIV status. These individuals with HIV/AIDS may unknowingly spread the infection and miss early treatment for the virus. Find out how easy it is to get tested.