International Day of Older Persons is observed annually on 1st October and it is a United Nations event which is celebrated with an aim to increase awareness about the problems faced by old face and to encourage people towards taking care of the old people.
We are actually very fortunate to have older people around us, whether as family, friends, or just general acquaintances. Older people are fonts of wisdom, experience, and storytelling. They can inspire us to continue working and also warn us of dangers ahead that we are unaware of.
But despite these all factors the world is witnessing a negligence in care of older people ir complete abandonment of care of older people by the society. Old people shouldn't be treated in this way and it is also very bad for world too which is gonna get much older.
| Event | International Day of Older Persons |
|---|---|
| Date | October 1, 2022 |
| Day | Saturday |
| Significance | The day honors older people and aims to raise awareness about the issues that they face |
| Observed by | World wide |
International Day of Older Persons History:
If we see from the start of the human civilization then taking care of old family members was considered very important and there were also mostly joint families that time with people mostly living with their grandparents or parents even after becoming adult. However in the modern world especially in the western society this system has completely changed. And today we rarely see people living with their parents after getting adult.
In the past taking care of the older people of the family was considered a very important duty which is still the case in some cultures around the world however things are changing fastly there also. Industrial revolution was major time period that brought this change as the working people got very busy in their work that they barely had a time to give to their elders and since then older people also started to living alone separated from their children so that inconvenience couldn't be caused in their lives.
The composition of the world population has changed dramatically in recent decades. Between 1950 and 2010, life expectancy worldwide rose from 46 to 68 years and this have a huge impact in the growth of older population along with low birth-rates. Globally, there were 703 million persons aged 65 or over in 2019. The region of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia was home to the largest number of older persons at 261 million, followed by Europe and Northern America each having over 200 million older people.
On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons under the resolution 45/106. This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly. In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons under the resolution 46/91.
Later In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages. So that most of people around the world can be awared about the challenges and encouraged to take care of their older.
International Day of Older Persons Significance:
Well this day doesn't tell you that you have to live with your parents after being adult that's completly your choice but instead this day urges all the people to just take care of your parents and grandparents and for doing that you have to remain in contact with them to know that how they are doing and if they face any problems then you should help them both financially and emotionally. It just asks to regularly check on older persons as during this retirement age of their life, the life can be very frustrating and difficult for them too.
And this is gonna be even more important in the future as the world is continuously growing even more older. As over the next three decades, the number of older persons worldwide is projected to more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion persons in 2050. All regions will see an increase in the size of the older population between 2019 and 2050. The largest increase of 312 million is projected to occur in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, growing from 261 million in 2019 to 573 million in 2050.
The holiday is also a way to educate younger people on many of the issues faced by the elderly, such as abuse and senescence which is the deterioration of mental and physical processes of an individual. And these all issues are very serious and have to be solved as the old people doesn't deserve this kind of their retirement age as they have worked a lot in their life for their family and during their last years of life they definitely deserves to enjoy it fully without any tensions and problems and the younger people needs to take this responsibility to ensure it.
There are various advantages also to be in the company of the older persons like youngsters can learn a lot from the older people through their wisdom and experience that they learned throughout their life. Hemce this day encourages younger people to learn from their experience so that they can avoid the risks and the mistakes that their elders have committed as this world is also becoming more competitive so younger people needs to have a proper guidance and roadmap for their future plans and ambition and older people can help them very much in that case.
International Day of Older Persons Theme:
The theme of International Day of Older Persons 2022 is "The Resilience and Contributions of Older Women."
The 2022 theme of International Day of Older Persons (UNIDOP) serves as a hallmark and reminder of the significant role older women play in traversing global challenges and contributing to their solutions with resilience and fortitude. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated existing inequalities, with the past three years intensifying the socioeconomic, environmental, health and climate related impacts on the lives of older persons, especially older women who constitute the majority of older persons.
While older women continue to meaningfully contribute to their political, civil, economic, social and cultural lives; their contributions and experiences remain largely invisible and disregarded, limited by gendered disadvantages accumulated throughout the life course. The intersection between discrimination based on age and gender compounds new and existing inequalities, including negative stereotypes that combine ageism and sexism.
This theme specifies a call to action and opportunity aimed to embrace the voices of older women and recognize their resilience and contributions in society, while promoting policy dialogues to enhance the protection of older persons human rights and recognize their contributions to sustainable development.
Most Searched FAQs on International Day of Older Persons:
1. When is International Day of Older Persons observed?
International Day of Older Persons is observed annually on 1st October.
2. Which country has most old people?
Japan has the most old people as 28% of its population is 65 years or older.
3. What is the theme of International Day of Older Persons 2022?
The theme of International Day of Older Persons is "The Resilience and Contributions of Older Women."