Call for global movement on ageing

VIDEO: Just as the world rallied against the HIV/AIDs epidemic in Africa, the secretary general of the International Federation of Ageing has challenged the global community to unite for the protection of the rights of older people.

In a keynote address to the ACSA National Conference on Monday, Professor Jane Barratt said protecting the rights of older people was the next big social problem facing governments around the world.

She said one fifth of homeless people were aged over 55 and between 22 and 26 million people over 60 were victims of abuse in 2011-2012. She said age discrimination in the workplace was also a global problem.

“We stood up as a world against HIV,” said Professor Barratt. “But where is the global movement around protecting the rights of the older people; and creating not only the best models of care for people who require it but also addressing the discrimination of older people in the workplace and their access to treatments?”

Professor Barratt said while governments were starting to embrace longevity, there were still persistent sub-groups of disadvantage. She said a capabilities approach should also underpin future policy on the care of older people and would complement a philosophy of active ageing.

Following her keynote, Professor Barratt spoke to the NEWSROOM, click on the image below to play video:

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