We celebrate the elderly in their day

Every year, October 1 celebrates the International Day of Older Persons, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990.

The goal of this day is to raise awareness of issues concerning the world of the elderly ; for example public health, abandonment, isolation, integration ...

Each year, a theme is chosen for International Senior Citizens' Day; the 2014 theme was " Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for Al l "; in other words, emphasis was placed on the importance of promoting a society that thinks of everyone's needs, without leaving the elderly in second place which, according to estimates, will constitute 20% of the global population in 2030.

The theme chosen for this year, instead, is " Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment "; that is, we want to reflect on the relationship between old people and the urban environment . It is estimated that, in 2030, 6 out of 10 people will live in urbanized areas; at the same time, the number of older people is increasing more rapidly in urban areas than in developing countries.

We therefore want to reflect on the organization of the cities and on how they should be managed to become welcoming and safe places even for those who are no longer young.

How many elderly people are there in the world?

Currently in the world there are about 600 million people aged sixty or over ; a number that, according to estimates, is destined to double by 2025.

It is assumed that by 2030 there will be many more people over the age of 60 than children under 10. It is also estimated that, in 2050, one in five developing countries will be aged 60 or over.

The importance of older people on a social level

The over-60s population is very important, mainly at a social level. Currently, in fact, these people play a fundamental role above all for the help they provide thanks to voluntary work, material support to families and the knowledge they are able to transmit by virtue of their own life experience.

Consider the organization of Italian families, where grandparents represent a precious resource, especially for the care of grandchildren. The same argument is also valid in Spain, where it has been estimated that, above all, elderly women between the ages of 65 and 74 devote many hours to caring for children or other people over their age .

If we looked at the estimates of old people's habits all over the world, we would realize that their social importance is widespread almost everywhere.

Average life is getting longer and more and more people are destined - fortunately - to grow old. We begin to think about it today, to prepare a world that, tomorrow after tomorrow, is increasingly suitable for the elderly.