wfn.org | U.N.'s yearlong focus promotes attitude change on aging

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Oct. 1, 1999 News media contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York
10-21-71B{504}

UNITED NATIONS (UMNS) - As the United Nations International Year of Older
Persons comes to a close, some attitudes about aging are beginning to
change.

"Increasingly, we do not see aging as a problem," explained Nitin Desai,
U.N. under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs. "We see aging
as an achievement."

Desai was the keynote speaker for the ninth annual International Day of
Older Persons on Sept. 30.

United Methodists are among those who have been involved in events and
activities commemorating the year. Participation remains open for an Oct. 16
satellite teleconference, "A Society for All Ages," being produced by the
United Methodist Teleconference Connection and Global Action on Aging.

As of the end of September, 111 downlink sites had been registered for the
teleconference. More information on current site locations or setting up a
site is available by calling (212) 870-3802 or visiting
www.umcom.org/umtc/aging <http://www.umcom.org/umtc/aging> on the World Wide
Web.

The international year has helped bring recognition that old age is not an
affliction or a disease but a fact of life, according to Desai. The aging of
populations - a "longevity revolution" - is happening not just in the
developed world but also in developing countries, "where the underlying
economic basis is much weaker." By 2050, older adults will outnumber
children on a global basis for the first time, with the largest group being
in Asia.

Adjustments in societal thinking are needed to adapt to the world's aging
population, according to Desai. Those include:

	*	Promoting "active aging" by designing transportation,
housing and other systems in more accessible ways;
	*	Changing educational systems to recognize that learning is a
lifelong experience; and
	*	Thinking of employment in terms of ability to work rather
than restrictions imposed by retirement.

"Older people provide an enormous amount of unpaid work," Desai noted. "I'm
arguing that in many cases, it should be paid work."

The greatest challenge, he said, is changing certain conceptions that all
cultures have about old age. By using the theme "A Society for All Ages," he
added, the International Year of Older Persons promotes "a society in which
every person feels they have something to give and something to get."

# # #

______________
United Methodist News Service
http://www.umc.org/umns/
newsdesk@umcom.umc.org
(615)742-5472