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Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Entissar El Sisi Celebrates International Day of Older Persons


Tue 01 Oct 2019 | 02:16 PM
Ahmad El-Assasy

Egypt's first lady Entissar El Sisi celebrated the International Day of Older Persons.

She said on her Twitter account:  "On the International Day of Older Persons, we have to pay tribute to our parents and to all previous generations. We owe those great thanks to what they have done to promote this society and work to build it properly and they worked to build it properly, all thanks to them all”

The International Day of Older Persons is one of the United Nations international days.  It is an annual occasion celebrated by the UN every year on October 1st.

On December 14, 1990, the United Nations General Assembly voted to hold October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons, as recorded in Vision 45/106. The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated to raise awareness of the problems facing the elderly, such as abuse of the elderly.

It is also a day to celebrate what the elderly have done to society. This celebration is similar to the ancestral day in America and Canada as well as to the Double Ninth Festival in China and the day of respect for the elderly in Japan.

The elderly work to make many contributions to society through volunteerism and the transfer of experience and knowledge to other generations through their experience gained in life. The number of older people (over 60 years) in the world is about 600 million people (2012), which is expected to rise to two billion people after fifty years.

The organizations and groups celebrating this World Day are:

  • Older people of both sexes.
  • Government institutions that care for the elderly.
  • Associations and NGOs.
  • Inpiduals and families concerned with the care of the elderly.
  • Workers in the fields of health care and rehabilitation of the elderly.
  • Health workers in health centers.

Objectives and messages of the International Day of Older Persons

The objectives of the adoption of the International Day of Older Persons are to draw attention to this age group that has contributed to the development of societies and their ability to continue to contribute. The objectives of this World Day may be to:

  • Raising awareness of the importance of preventive and curative care for the elderly.
  • Promote health services and disease prevention, and provide appropriate technology and rehabilitation.
  • Training of staff in the care of the elderly.
  • Provide the necessary facilities to meet the needs of the elderly (such as nursing homes).
  • Urge NGOs and families to provide support to the elderly for a good health approach.
  • Cooperation between government institutions, families and inpiduals to provide a good environment for the health and well-being of the elderly.