UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF HEALTHY AGING
Program Description
“Join the movement to transform the world to be a better place to grow older.”
“The process of change ignites when someone decides to listen. VOICE is about listening to the stories and perspectives of older people, their families, and communities, and working with them through meaningful engagement.”
-decadeofhealthyageing.org
The platform covers the following age related issues:
• Combatting Ageism
• Age-friendly Environments
• Long-term Care
• Abuse of older people
• Social isolation and loneliness
Combatting Ageism -stereotyping (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards people on the basis of their age has particularly negative effects on the health and well-being of older people. The World Health Organization’s Global Campaign to Combat Ageism (#AWorld4AllAges) is taking action by identifying three strategies that work: policy and law, educational activities, and intergenerational contact interventions. The Campaign provides ready to go practical tools and resources for those wishing to help join the fight against ageism.
Age Friendly Environments -are better places in which to grow, live, work, play, and age and can be created by addressing the social determinants of healthy aging and enabling all people, irrespective of physical or mental capacity to continue to be engaged and live dignified lives.
WHO is working internationally to create age-friendly cities and communities by:
- Inspiring change by showing what can be done and how.
- Connecting cities and communities worldwide to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and experience.
- Supporting cities and communities to find appropriate innovative and evidence-based solutions.
Access to Long-Term Care - many older people experience declines in their physical and mental capacity which means they can no longer care for themselves without support and assistance. Access to good-quality long-term care is essential for these people to maintain their functional ability, enjoy basic human rights and live with dignity. The World Health Organization works to provide technical support to countries for conducting national situation analyses of long-term care towards implementing a minimum package of long-term care as part of universal health coverage.
Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention - abuse of older people can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences, increased risk of nursing home placement, use of emergency services, hospitalization and premature death. The United Nations works to provide strategies to prevent and respond to abuse of older people include caregiver interventions, which provide services to relieve the burden of caregiving; money management programs for older adults vulnerable to financial exploitation; helplines and emergency shelters; and multi-disciplinary teams, as the responses required often cut across many systems, including, for instance, criminal justice, health care, mental health care, adults protective services and long-term care.
Strategies have been implemented to prevent abuse of older people including:
• Public and professional awareness campaigns
• Screening (of potential victims and abusers)
• School-based intergenerational programs
• Caregiver support interventions (including stress management and respite care)
• Residential care policies to define and improve standards of care
• Caregiver training on dementia
• Money management programs
• Multidisciplinary teams.
Efforts to respond to and prevent further abuse include interventions such as:
• Mandatory reporting of abuse to authorities
• Self-help groups
• Safe-houses and emergency shelters
• Psychological programs for abusers
• Helplines to provide information and referrals
• Caregiver support interventions.
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults - high quality social connections are essential to mental and physical health and our well-being. With an estimated 1 in 4 older people experiencing social isolation..Research shows that social isolation and loneliness have a serious impact on physical and mental health, quality of life, and longevity. The effect of social isolation and loneliness on mortality is comparable to that of other well-established risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.
The United Nations Decade of Healthy Aging platform provides information in the form of:
Voices - stories, interviews, quotes, and multimedia that express how people think, feel, and act about aging.
Resources - publications, multimedia, databases & repositories, commentaries, decade news, and events.
Innovation Hub -information about what stakeholders are doing to push the status quo on aging, research projects, field reports, opportunities to collaborate and seek funding for initiatives.
The program encourages individuals and organizations to collaborate and connect with others to create a meaningful difference in the way society ages. Governments, international and regional organizations, civil society, the private sector, academia and the media are encouraged to actively contribute to achieving the Decade’s goals through direct action, partnering with others.
United Nations Decade of Healthy Aging is a global collaboration to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live.
source:decadeofhealthyageing.org
Aging Awareness Sensitivity Programs
Aging Films
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