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Pension | Health | Elder Rights | Blog
PENSION
WORLD
Argentina: The Aging of the Population Poses Questions to the Social Security System (August 18, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
The Argentine social security system maintains a healthy surplus. But an aging population and an increase in unemployment or a gloomy employment picture could change that equation. Many other countries face this issue as well.
Italy: Italian Pensioners Are Helped, but at Lower Cost (August 18, 2009)
(Article in French)
With a fifth of its population aged over 65 (the highest percentage in Europe), Italy helps seniors with a minimum retirement pension granted to all Italians over 65 years, whatever their situation with regard to their contributions to the National Institute of Social Security. The State also provides compensation in certain cases. Knowing that the elderly will constitute about 70% of the population in 2050, the Italian government is increasingly moving towards a policy to assist the elderly at a lower cost. So no major project is underway.
United Kingdom: One Million More Workers Face Poorer Retirements (August 18, 2009)
A million people in the United Kingdom will lose their final-salary pension benefits over the next three years. Financial managers say that poor investment returns and rising longevity have boosted the cost of running final-salary schemes and pushed most of them into a deep deficit. Forty-eight percent of employers that still run final-salary schemes for long-term staff plan to withdraw the benefit by 2012. As a result, one million employees, mostly older and long-term employees, will be transferred to less generous defined contribution schemes.
Canada: Frozen Pensions Decreasing for Thousands of Retired in Quebec (July 31, 2009)
(Article in French)
This month, the Canadian government issued a lower pension check to retired citizens from Quebec due to deflation. Many people now think that indexing pensions based on the current overall economic situation must be reviewed. Such a policy on benefits retired people during inflationary periods. Moreover, it appears that last month's deflation was essentially due to decreasing gas prices. Elders do not buy much gasoline and therefore do not benefit from the deflation.
HEALTH
US
Survey Finds Binge Drinking Among Older People, Too (August 17, 2009)
Young people aren't the only ones who "binge" on alcohol, say Duke University researchers. They said that a nationwide survey of people 50 to 64 years old showed nearly a quarter of men and nine percent of the women had engaged in binge drinking in the previous 30 days. Older bingers can face alcohol poisoning, liver disease, neurological damage, injuries and may engage in violent crimes due to such alcohol abuse.
WORLD
France: ICub, a Robotic Assistance for Seniors (August 21, 2009)
(Article in French)
Progress definitely never stops! Now the baby robot ICub begins his "education." Indeed, like a small human, this robot has learning abilities that develop every day, thanks to educators. Will this robot be of use to dependent seniors?
France: Psychiatric Care of the Elderly during the Summer: a Challenge for Public Health (August 19, 2009)
(Article in French)
Health professionals are seeing more older people admitted to psychiatric clinics during the summer months. This increase in admissions raises new challenges for medical teams, who are often smaller during the traditional French vacation season. Besides their vacation time, the professional staff also worries about the scarce number of beds in psychiatric facilities. That's why physicians and clinical leaders want the government to offer more resources for psychiatry in the public services.
Belgium: Nearly 6 in 10 Seniors at Risk of Malnutrition (August 19, 2009)
(Article in French)
Writers for the study NutriAction 2008 revealed that people aged 70 or older are 60% more likely to be malnourished. They found that the older the individual, the greater the chance of having eating disorders. This risk is particularly high in retirement homes for women and people over 90 years. Where are the programs to assure that elders get the food they need?
France: Residents Are Increasingly Older and More Dependent (August 18, 2009)
(Article in French)
A ministerial study conducted among 79% of residents of French retirement homes has just been released, indicating an increase in age of those admitted to these facilities. The research found that the French population is becoming older before moving to retirement facilities. Not surprisingly, the "oldest old" who come to these homes are women, by a large majority, and residents increasingly need more care.
Mexico: Depression a Very Widespread Ailment Among the Elderly (August 17, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
Older people sometimes get depressed. Depression can complicate other existing conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension. Members of the Association for Mental Health now offer a course devoted to ways to treat symptoms. It's free to families of those with mental illnesses.
France: We Understand Better Why the Memory of Elders is Going Down the Drain (August 12, 2009)
(Article in French)
As people grow older, it is often said that they "lose our marbles." French researchers have just discovered one of the causes: a brain protein whose concentration increases with age. Eventually, they hope to secure more positive ways to combat such disorders.
China: First National Health Assembly for the Elderly Opened in Zhengzhou (August 10, 2009)
(Article in Chinese)
The first National Elderly Fitness Assembly opened in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, on August 8, 2009. The Assembly promoted physical activity for older persons. The Assembly organizers focused on participation as the way to have a healthy and happy old age. They introduced a number of traditional Chinese health projects to increase the enthusiasm among the people who came to this event.
ELDER RIGHTS
US
For Athletes, Drug Question Emerges (August 18, 2009)
With the Senior Olympics underway, a new concern emerges. Observers suspect that some competitors may use prescription drugs to enhance their physical abilities. However, most drugs are prescribed to senior competitors for various conditions such as diabetes, blood pressure or asthma. Indeed, a participant states, "I don't think anyone taking asthma medication is going to throw or run any better. I think they're doing it because they can't breathe." Nevertheless, the question remains and will be investigated thoroughly.
Unemployment Jumped 70 Percent in 2008 for People Over 55-Years-Old (August 17, 2009)
Between January 2008 and January 2009, the number of unemployed workers ages 55 and older increased 70%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Recently, individuals representing social service organizations and businesses (Temple and Killeen Help Centers, Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, the United Way of Central Texas, etc.) met to discuss the problems of middle aged and mature workers who face aging problems. Some do not know how to do a job search and sometimes do not use computers. The organizations focus on helping jobless people start over and find new work when they find themselves unemployed. The organizations also provide some training programs.
NYC's First Elder Abuse Center Created by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell in Collaboration With Community Partners (August 11, 2009)
Leaders at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Hospital have created a elder abuse center. They want to improve intervention and treatment for elder abuse cases in the New York City area. The Samuels Foundation gave the Hospital $300,000 to help coordinate abuse interventions. The New York City Elder Abuse Center will gather clinicians, city agencies, representatives from adult protective services, the district attorney's office, a mental health provider, a geriatrician and organizations at the same table to decide on the best approach for each case and to plan a coordinated response. It is expected to begin operations later in 2009.
More Happiness May Come with Age, Studies Say (August 11, 2009)
At the American Psychological Association meeting in Toronto, Canada, researchers suggested that, generally, people in their 80's and 90's are happier than younger people. A Pew Research Center study found that the happiest men are ages 60 to 69--except when they suffer age-dementia or other problems of mental health--while the least happy are ages 20 to 29. Older adults are usually less stressed out and have fewer negative emotions than young people. Their life experience increases their sense of well-being, and when they get older, people tend to 'mellow out' when facing difficult situations. Moreover, it seems that older adults are usually more focused on the positive aspects of situations they encounter.
Picture of the Woodstock Generation (August 10, 2009)
In an iconic photograph symbolizing the Woodstock Generation stands a couple, Bobbi and Nick. Now, forty years later, the two are still together and happily married, with two sons. In this article, they reflect on their personal experiences at Woodstock and describe how the weekend changed their lives. The two, now 60 years old, still feel the effects of the concert and hope that its 40th anniversary will inspire the world once again to reinvent itself, like it did forty years ago.
Seniors at Home in Co-Housing (May 4, 2009)
Adopting a relatively common means of living among older people in Europe, some local governments in the US are beginning to create co-housing groups. Such communities foster a sense of inclusion and involvement among the residents. One woman likened her interactions with her neighbors to those of an "extended family." Seniors find it appealing to manage the compound in any way they want. Another resident described the three plagues of aging as "isolation, boredom and helplessness," and sees co-housing as a perfect solution.
WORLD
Russia: Seniors at Retirement Homes in Russia Often Abandoned by Their Own Children (August 24, 2009)
(Article in Russian)
According to Russian law, homes for the elderly can only accept those seniors who have no living relatives to take care of them. However, adult children are increasingly abandoning their parents, sending them to nursing homes "to vacate apartments" they have occupied all their lives. In addition, relatives physically abused older family members and ripped off their monthly pensions. In these cases, older people may find a retirement home a shelter from the violence and poverty they face in their own families.
France: International Day of Older Persons (August 21, 2009)
(Article in French)
On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons to be held under the aegis of the United Nations on October 1, 2009, the International Federation of Little Brothers of the Poor will rally across the whole of France to launch the operation "Flowers of the Fraternity" to increase public awareness of the living conditions of elderly people suffering from isolation and poverty.
Canada: Judges Too Old to Rule, Lawyers Say (August 20, 2009)
Recently a young lawyer identified a deputy judge as too old for the bench. Under the Constitution Act, all court judges must retire at 75 years; however Judge Louis Tannenbaum is 77. Upon noticing this discrepancy, lawyers are wondering how they could have missed this technicality. A solution to the issue has not yet been determined.
Colombia: Mistreatment Hounds Elderly Persons in Cali (August 19, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
The reporters says that rights of elderly people in Cali, Colombia, are often violated. The government received some 314 cases of abuse during the past year. Older persons represent 10% of the population in Cali. In an effort to eradicate elder abuse, the Secretariat of Territorial Development and Social Welfare initiated several social programs to benefit its older citizens. Will the government look at the causes of such abuse?
United Kingdom: Scheme to Improve Diets of Elderly in North East Wales (August 19, 2009)
In Wales, some 11% of adults over the age of 65 are malnourished. This amounts to over 5,800 adults. In order to combat this dire problem, Dietitian Tony Burgos will lead the Prevention of Malnutrition Project in a search for a community tool to prevent malnutrition. This project is the first of its kind in Wales, if not the UK.
Spain: The Government of Spain Invests for the Elders (August 18, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
The Government of Spain is fighting tooth and nail so citizens do not lose the social rights they have gained after many years of struggle. These rights include universal health care, basic education for all, and pensions. But, older people see some gaps in support for older and disabled persons.
Mexico: The Elderly Understand Their Rights (August 17, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
Staff at the Commission of Human Rights in Mexico published a booklet listing types of abuse against older people that must be denounced. Mexican elders face human rights violations in these areas: Poverty, lack of jobs, abandonment and abuse from family members, discrimination, sickness, lack of secure accommodations and many more. The Human Rights Commission in the country now can begin its effort to ensure that human rights regulations become binding and enforced.
Mexico: Mistreatment of Elderly in Self-Service Stores in San Juan (August 17, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
The National Institute of the Elderly in Mexico indicates that 95% of older persons working as packers in self-service stores have filed complaints of abuse against other workers and clients. They have a major complaint over being forced to do jobs that are not part of their responsibilities as packers. The National Institute of the Elderly will inspect the stores' contracts, thus trying to gain the trust of the elderly, assuring them that the Institute is a resource where they can file their complaints of mistreatment.
Spain: New Technologies More Accessible for Older People (August 17, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
Words such as "software" or "hardware" no longer sound strange to older persons uninitiated to the world of data processing, thanks to a project called Formative Courses of Access to the New Technologies, designed and set up for elders in Burgos, Spain.
Singapore: Wellness Programme Popular with Singapore's Ageing Population (August 17, 2009)
Singapore launched a Wellness Programme for senior citizens recently. Government leaders aim to turn physical activities into social experiences and at the same time help older people maintain a healthy lifestyle. Next year, various associations will run this program. Sabrina Ow Yong, coordinator of a Wellness Centre, said: "Social connection and networks are important for our senior citizens... it is a pull factor for them to come to our centre for activities." Seniors have responded to this initiative and these very successful Wellness Programme centers. The government will build new centers over the next few years in other parts of the city-state.
France: A Bomb in Havre: 2300 Evacuated Persons (August 13, 2009)
(Article in French)
Recently, construction workers discovered a British bomb dropped in 1944 on a site under construction in Havre. Although the bomb was "neutralized, local residents had to evacuate the dangerous area. For people who live in Havre this is not unusual; however a nursing home, very close to the area, complicated the evacuation. Some 109 older persons live in the Villa Saint-Nicolas. Six of them went to a hospital, and others--31 in wheelchairs and 28 with Alzheimer's disease-got transport to facilities with medical beds, bathrooms and nursing care.
Japan: Life after Retirement in Japan (August 12, 2009)
(Article in Chinese)
Older Japanese believe in the "live and learn" slogan. Even at age 80, people engage in a variety of remedial classes in the classroom. Considered a treasure of talent, Japan's elderly have gained more self-confidence and vitality. Japanese society values older persons. They are the "experienced labor" with useful life experience and technical expertise. Also, they have more leisure time and money and help fuel the consumer market.
China: China's Future Will be Hobbled by Old Age (August 6, 2009)
(Also Available in Chinese)
Applying the one-child policy in China has both national and international significance. To the world, it has slowed down the increase of the global population and helped delay disastrous climate change, but to the nation, it has placed extra burdens on its citizens. With the rapid process of aging within the country, fewer workers are available to care for increasing numbers of the old. Thus, China may have to face serious challenges, such as labor shortages, slower growth and higher taxes.
Granada: 90% of Public Accommodations for Older Persons in Granada Already Occupied (August 4, 2009)
(Article in Spanish)
The majority of the 1,699 available accommodations for older people in Junta, in the Province of Granada, are already occupied. One can only find vacancies in rural areas. Older Granadians have two options: 1) obtain accommodations in a rural area or 2) wait at least three months for one located in an urban area. The Province has invested 8 million euros to reform the system and provide more accommodations designated for older persons. |
