International Day for Elderly People or the International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on 1st October every year. This day is celebrated to focus on the importance of senior citizens of our society who sometimes are neglected. This day highlights our responsibilities towards our senior and elder people in order to make their lives better, comfortable, and happy. The main aim of this day is to generate awareness amongst people regarding issues which affect the elders.

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Approximately 700 million people are now over the age of 60. Well, according to this by 2050, approx 2 billion people (over 20% of the world’s population), will be 60 or older. The increase in older people number will be high and the most rapid in the developing world, with Asia as the region with the higher number of older persons.

The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated every year to make some welfare of elder persons and to enroll their specific involvement in the society from their knowledge and ability. The day is also celebrated worldwide to examine issues, focus on which type of behavior can help older men and women, and promote public awareness regarding the importance of older people.

International Day for Older Persons also focuses on the responsibilities towards senior citizen lives through the demonstration of promotional material in schools, offices, institutions, and public notice boards. People are getting encouraged about their responsibilities towards the lives of older people to make their life happy, better, and comfortable by analyzing all the problems affecting the lives of older people.

What is the Theme of the International Day for Elderly People 2018?

The theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2018 is “Celebrating Older Human Rights champions.”

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How International Day of Older Persons 2018 is Celebrated in India?

Over the years, a demographic revolution is underway throughout the world. Life expectancy has risen due to medical advancement, sanitation, medical science, health care, improvements in nutrition, education, and the economic well-being.

In this fast-forward lifestyle, older people may play a critical role through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge and even helping their families with responsibilities. Full participation of older persons brings wonderful benefits to all generations. The International Day for Elderly Pople is an opportunity to focus on the important contributions of older people in making the better society and raise awareness regarding the issues and challenges of aging in today’s world.

As people grow old, the risk of developing chronic diseases is higher and it sometimes might also result in disability. This ends up in compromising their ability to lead an independent life. This ultimately weakens their immune system by making them more prone to diseases. Other conditions like dependence on others, being neglected by family members, and cut off from social life further deteriorates their living condition. In fact, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes are predicted to be the main contributors on a burden of disease in developing countries.

It is our responsibility to provide long-term care to them for their healthy aging. As part of commitment towards old people, the Government of India (GOI) has offered various preventive, rehabilitative, and curative services for the people who are more than 60 years under its program the National Program of Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE).

The main goal of the NPHCE programme is to provide specialized, comprehensive, and separate health care to the senior citizens at different levels of State health care delivery system including the outreach services. The GOI also provides other benefits like health insurance schemes, concessions in rail and airfares, and tax exemptions to the senior citizens.

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