Бюллетень Международной федерации по старению — апрель

The Intergenerational flat or home sharing is a growing phenomenon across the world.  It is a relevant way to share time, knowledge and space.  Older people are encouraged to rent a room in their house to students and younger people in exchange for help in the daily household tasks.  This kind of experience can be a win-win situation for both older and younger people.

Intergenerational solidarity and intergenerational activities aim to reduce barriers between ages.  They break the ice and bring the generations together for mutual benefits.

On one hand, young people can stimulate the participation of older people in various activities (theatre, cinema, walking or gardening) and provide assistance when it is needed.  On the other hand, older people can bring their life experiences to young people and be a valuable support.

Currently, there are more and more organizations that put students and older people in contact.  The French association named «Ensemble2generations» is one of them.  2900 student/senior pairs have been created since 2006.  This type of association helps to build social ties and harmonious cohabitations in encouraging exchanges and sharing.

As a result, the well-being of older people is improved while giving the opportunity for all generations to be recognized in their communities.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has developed an Age-Friendly Communities Evaluation Guide as part of its commitment to promote the Age-Friendly Community model throughout Canada.

The guide provides information and tools to measure indicators of age-friendliness.  Based on the eight domains of AFC, the guide identifies 43 outcome indicators to help communities measure the progress of their initiatives, such as walkability, crime prevention, sense of belonging and health.

The guide is flexible and dynamic and designed to serve as a comprehensive starting point to enable communities of all sizes to develop a plan to met their specific needs.

The guide is now publicly available and can be accessed here.

Approximately two thirds of babies born today are expected to live until the age of 100.  With increased longevity, more people are likely to be working into their mid-70s and 80s before retirement.

A 5% increase in workforce participation from people over the age of 55 would provide an additional $48 billion annually, including pension and income tax savings.  In recognition of this, the Australian government has increased the retirement age to 67 by 2023.

Consequently, there must be a fundamental shift in the valuation of older workers to ensure they remain adequately skilled.  Workers need to build transferable skills in light of changing industries and focus on strategic career management, by retraining and upskilling throughout the course of their career.

Industries that serve older people stand to benefit a great deal from older workers.  Service and management roles in aged care, financial and legal services, not-for-profit organizations and travel and hospitality suit experienced workers with good communication and interpersonal skills.

Read the full article here.

In a report prepared for Grantmakers in Aging, it was predicted that by 2050, the percentage of people over the age of 65 in the United States will reach 20%.  Due to medical, public health and technological advancements, years have been added to middle age, when people are most productive and creative.

The Case for Age-Friendly Communities outlines the reasons why the creation of age-friendly communities makes good sense, including: economic benefits, improved social capital, opportunities related to innovations in housing and physical infrastructure and health benefits.  These improvements address the needs of our ageing population, and benefit people of all ages and abilities.

Information in the publication is applicable to business leaders, government officials, philanthropists, educators, civic groups, advocacy organizations, service organizations and residents to take advantage of the opportunities that older adults represent, and to help build communities that support people throughout the life course.

The full report can be accessed here.

Sri Vivekananda Sevashrama is a registered charitable trust that began offering a free clinic on Sundays to low income residents of Vasanthapura and Tataguni villages in 1975.

In 1979, an EYECARE service was added under the National Programme for Control of Blindness.  The initiative involved reaching out to remote villages, specifically underprivileged and lower income people, to provide eye care.  The first cataract surgery camp was conducted in VGKK Tribal Hospital in BR Hills under the support of Dr H. Sudarshan, Right Livelihood Award.  90% of the surgeries are conducted in rural areas.

Regaining and maintaining one’s vision results in increased productivity, employment, independent living and prevention of injuries.  Surgery is the only remedy, and many challenges still persist, including poor infrastructure, backlog of cases, shortage of technical manpower, illiteracy and poverty.  The program involves the local community and many of the volunteers are senior citizens.  Since January of 1998, the clinic has provided a total of 36,123 cataract surgeries.

Learn more about Sri Vivekananda Sevashrama here.

Constable Pat Fleischmann has served with the Toronto Police Service for 30 years, and spent over half of her career as the Vulnerable Persons Coordinator.  Constable Fleischmann worked with seniors groups and educated officers and members of the public about elder abuse and crime prevention.

The IFA would like to acknowledge the extraordinary work of Constable Fleischmann, and thank her for her tremendous contributions to older people in Toronto, and for the impact she has had on national and international platforms.

Read the full announcement from Toronto Police Services here.