October 1 is International Day of Older Persons – a day that honors the older people, sheds light on the issues faced by the older people, and encourages the world to provide a friendly environment to the older people where they can grow old with dignity and never feel deprived of their rights.

About International Day of Older Persons

The International Day of Older Persons is an awareness holiday created by the United Nations. Celebrated annually on October 1st, this day creates awareness about the impact of the fast-growing aging population and what we as a society should do to solve the problems of their elder people and raise their living standards in the today’s modern community.

The world’s population of people over 60 years old will double by 2050

According to a confirmed report of the UN, the 60+ age segment is growing faster than any other age group, and is expected to:

• increase from 900 million in to 1.4 billion in 2030
• double by 2050 to 2 billion (which is 20% of the world’s total population)
• triple by 2100 to 3 billion

The rapid expansion in the population of 60+ age group is a serious challenge for the 21st-century world – a challenge that demands proper steps to be taken so that the needs of the old population are perfectly dealt with in future.

History

The International Day of Older Persons was formed by the United Nations General Assembly in a United Nations session held on 14 December 1990. The assembly voted to establish October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons – a day established to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly and coming together to appreciate the contributions of the older people for the society.

Dates

The International Day of Older Persons is always celebrated on October 1st. This means that the upcoming International Day of Older Persons will be observed on Tuesday, October 1

Objectives

The rise in the population of old-aged individuals will be the greatest and the most rapidly growing in the developing world. Because of this, proper attention regarding the specific needs and challenges faced by a majority of older is required and that’s where the “International Day of Older Persons” wants the world to pay attention to. During the International Day of Older Persons, is same like National sons day , people conduct various activities that let them achieve the objectives or purposes of the celebration.

For instance, an increase in the number of older people will directly increase the number of sick years, placing a huge burden on the not-so-capable healthcare system. The threat lies not only in the undeveloped countries, but even the higher income countries are not properly aligned to the care that older populations require.

Old men and women are often been overlooked in today’s society. A majority of them are challenged with discrimination, poverty, health, and social protection issues. If these issues are not properly answered, then the huge population of old-aged individuals would develop a sense of insecurity in upcoming years – leading to an unbalanced society.

The objective of International Day of Older Persons is: Creating a world where old people live with dignity, do not feel deprived of the luxuries of life, are respected and appreciated, and continue to participate in the modern society as important citizens with full rights.

Theme

The theme for International Day of Older Persons is: “The Journey to Age Equality”

The theme sheds light on the agenda that development in the 21st century would only be achievable if it is inclusive of all ages. The world should put an end to inequality and empower the elderly in all the dimensions of development, including promoting their active participation in the social, economic, and political phases with full rights.

Celebration Ideas & Activities

The young of the society should come together on October 1st and celebrate the International Day of Older Persons by understanding the rights of senior citizens and making efforts to ensure that those rights are fulfilled. Here are some top ideas and activities to do on International Day of Older Persons:

1). Appreciate Them. Love Them. Honor Them. Unfortunately, the elderly are overlooked in today’s modern society. So celebrate International Day of Older Persons by honoring the old-age people in your family or community and appreciating them for their services.

2). Make Them Feel Special. Discrimination is the biggest challenged faced by the elderly. On Older Persons Day, you can plan to do something special for the elderly. You can make them feel special by presenting them with a gift that works for their easiness and betterment (such as a massage chair, a magnifying glass, a smartphone or tablet), baking them something special, spending time with them, and gaining words of wisdom and life lessons.

3). Help Them Financially. A majority of old aged men and women are shackled to poverty. On UN Older Persons Day, you can visit such old couples or people and help them financially. Buy them some grocery, clothes, or simply give them some cash so that they can fulfill their needs. Fold money in an envelop and present it to them in a respectful way, so that they don’t feel any sort of embarrassment or humiliation.

Quotes Captions

• Old Persons are those who bring out the Best in you and not the Stress in you.
• All people must be appreciative of your elders today as we might recall they’re a true value to society when they are gone from this world.
• Listen to your elder’s advice, not because they are always right but because they have more experiences of being wrong.
• Respect the old when you are young. Help the weak when you are strong. Confess the fault when you are wrong. Because one day in the life, you will be old, weak, and wrong.
• Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. Mark Twain.
• If there’s a senior citizen in downstate Illinois that’s struggling to pay for their medicine and having to chose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer even if it’s not my grandparent. Barack Obama

Also Read: International Grandparents Day