GLOBAL ACTION ON AGING 

June 25, 2012 Newsletter



Dear Global Action on Aging Friend,

Our full-time intern, Victoria Daugherty, and I think you will find our recent postings both interesting and focused directly on the human rights of older persons.   GAA spent much time this week assisting international NGOs in their efforts to attend the Open-Ended Working Group (August 21 -24) where they will speak out, describing the many reasons why the UN should construct an international convention or treaty on elder rights. GAA is also working with others on the Hospitality Committee to welcome our international guests in August.  If you would like to contribute to this hospitality effort, please click on one of the Donate Now links below.  On the dedication line, please write "Hospitality," indicating that you would like your contributions to be designated to our hospitality efforts. 

Many thanks and enjoy every day!   Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging


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Top Stories of this Week

Health

United Kingdom: Doctors Face Ban on Denying Treatment to Elderly (June 11, 2012)
Beginning in October, healthcare practitioners in the UK will not be permitted legally to deny an individual treatment due to his age.  In a 2011 report, the National Health Service failed to meet basic standards of care for individuals over 65 years of age, according to the Health Service Ombudsman.  For instance, many older persons were denied food or drink.  Some older adults were not washed or died alone because their next of kin had not been notified of their illness. This research indicates that older individuals are less likely to receive treatment than young people, sometimes resulting in their death.

Pension

Spain: 1 in 3 Older Persons Help Their Family with Their Pension (June 15, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
As a result of the economic crisis, many individuals are unable to find work, and their retired parents are supporting them while they are unemployed.  Due to inflation and the burden of family members, the savings accounts of 70% of parents have diminished.  20% of older persons do not eat fruit, meat or fish.  Two out of every four older adults cannot maintain a comfortable temperature in their house, and 80% do not spend money on leisure or restful activities.  The president of the Observatory of Vulnerability of the Red Cross (Observatorio de Vulnerabilidad de la Cruz Roja), Josep Marqués, described the necessity of preventing a domino effect, in which the problems of the elders influence the larger society.

GAA Blog

Do You Know Your Status? (June 14, 2012)
According to UNAIDS, an estimated 1.2 million people now live with HIV/AIDS in the United States. About 20% of those infected (240,000 people) are unaware of their HIV status. These individuals with HIV/AIDS may unknowingly spread the infection and miss early treatment for the virus. Find out how easy it is to get tested.

  كل النصوص بالعربية(Arabic) | 中 文報導(Chinese) | Les Articles en Francais (French)  | Статьи на русском (Russian) | Artículos en Español (Spanish)




Photo Credit: Theodore Kaye/Once a celebrated Soviet folk singer, this elderly man in the Vanj valley demonstrates the elegant acoustics of a 'dutar' fiddle he constructed out of a tin of tea. While music has long occupied a vital role in Pamiri society, once diverse musical styles are increasingly threatened by synthizer-infused pop music.


Quote of the week

"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made: Our times are in his hands Who sayeth 'a whole I planned, Youth shows but half; Trust God; see all nor be afraid.'"
Robert Browning, English poet and playwright (May 7,1812 – December 12, 1889)

Issues This Week

 

   Pension | Health | Elder Rights | Aging Watch | GAA Blog


PENSION


WORLD

Spain: 1 in 3 Older Persons Help Their Family with Their Pension (June 15, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
As a result of the economic crisis, many individuals are unable to find work, and their retired parents are supporting them while they are unemployed.  Due to inflation and the burden of family members, the savings accounts of 70% of parents have diminished.  20% of older persons do not eat fruit, meat or fish.  Two out of every four older adults cannot maintain a comfortable temperature in their house, and 80% do not spend money on leisure or restful activities.  The president of the Observatory of Vulnerability of the Red Cross (Observatorio de Vulnerabilidad de la Cruz Roja), Josep Marqués, described the necessity of preventing a domino effect, in which the problems of the elders influence the larger society.

HEALTH


WORLD 

United Kingdom: Doctors Face Ban on Denying Treatment to Elderly (June 11, 2012)
Beginning in October, healthcare practitioners in the UK will not be permitted legally to deny an individual treatment due to his age.  In a 2011 report, the National Health Service failed to meet basic standards of care for individuals over 65 years of age, according to the Health Service Ombudsman.  For instance, many older persons were denied food or drink.  Some older adults were not washed or died alone because their next of kin had not been notified of their illness. This research indicates that older individuals are less likely to receive treatment than young people, sometimes resulting in their death.


Ukraine: Grandmothers from Nikolaev City Demand the Return of Their Dancing Place in “Nadezhda” (June 11, 2012)
(Article in Russian)
Many pensioners from Nikolaev city and nearby villages enjoyed dancing in a sports complex called  “Nadezhda, ” twice weekly where they paid 3 hryvnas for this pleasure.   But in March,  the city government closed the place claiming  that taxes for renting the complex had increased. Participants protested to the government but it didn’t produce any results.  No more dances for the old people.

Mexico: The Quantity of Older Persons Grows But Not That of Geriatricians (June 11, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
Some 400 geriatricians are registered with the Mexican Council of Gerontology (el Consejo Mexicano de Geriatría); however, not all of these geriatricians have re-certified.  According to World Health Organization predictions, Mexico needs about 10 times more geriatricians than are currently registered.  Because of increasing life expectancies, in 15 years the Mexican health care system will encounter a shortage of geriatricians, according to Luis Miguel Gutiérrez.



ELDER RIGHTS

US

Consumer Bureau Launches Inquiry into Financial Abuse of Elderly (June 14, 2012)
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating the financial exploitation of older adults, marking World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.  The inquiry is soliciting public commentary on unfair, deceptive and abusive practices toward older persons.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will also seek out public opinion on the evaluation of financial advisors who may aid elders and of possible resources that may help older adults with financial planning.



WORLD

Mexico: More Than 800,000 Older Persons Live in Poverty (June 14, 2012)
(Article in Spanish)
Some 10.1 million persons of at least age 60 years populate Mexico and represent 9% of the total population.  Seven million of these older adults live in poverty; among these, 800,000 elders survive on the extreme, low-income side of the spectrum.  Diabetes is the principle cause of hospitalization and death.  On the other hand, in a group of 100 older individuals, estimates suggest that 26 older adults will have some form of disability.

Ukraine: In Ten Years the Number of Pensioners and the Number of Citizens of Working Age Will Be Equal (June 11, 2012)
(Article in Russian)
Economics expert Oleg Ustenko emphasized that Ukraine still has the so-called Soviet system of “solidarity responsibility” that the employed citizens support a pension.  He says that this system slows down economic development.  Rather, he states that the pension system should be reformed not through increasing of the pension age but through the personal accumulation of income. 
Swindlers habitually use the Power of Attorney to obtain the material goods of older persons, they may purchase the Power of Attorney for 80 to 90 Euros.  They commit a range of crimes, from taking money out of the older person’s bank account to placing their own name on real estate.  Notaries are unable to demonstrate that the abusers are guilty of these economic crimes, because they lack the tools to confirm their suspicions. 

Russia: Pension Payments May Be Decreased from 30 to 28% (June 4, 2012)
(Article in Russian)
The Federal Ministries proposed their own individual designs for the development of a pension system in Russia. The Ministry of Economic Development suggests focusing on collecting payments and then cutting them from 30 to 28%.  The Ministry of Finance proposed increasing the pension age to 63 years old. And the Ministry of Social Development wanted to assemble pension payments from many different sources.

India: Report on Elder Abuse in India (2012)
HelpAge India completed a report about elder abuse in India in honor of the first annual International World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.  Here are only a few of their salient findings:
More than two out of every five older persons studied are financially dependent on others; more than one half are financially dependent on the oldest son.  Some 35% of the older adults studied report elder abuse.  Another 51% feel neglected sometimes, while yet others (40%) feel neglected every day.  Fifty-three percent of the older individuals studied did not take any actions to respond to the abuse; Nearly all (92%) of those older adults who were abused did not file a complaint against the abuser.



AGING WATCH

World: Dementia: A Public Heath Priority (2012)
The World Health Organization and Alzheimer’s Disease International jointly released a report on the global impact of dementia to encourage policymakers and others to address the impact of dementia.  Additionally, the authors want to establish dementia as a global health issue.  The report discusses epidemiology, current policy, health and social care systems, caregiving and care givers, public perception issues, and future courses of action.



GAA Blog

According to UNAIDS, an estimated 1.2 million people now live with HIV/AIDS in the United States. About 20% of those infected (240,000 people) are unaware of their HIV status. These individuals with HIV/AIDS may unknowingly spread the infection and miss early treatment for the virus. Find out how easy it is to get tested.

DonateNow