International Day of Older Persons

On October 1, the International Day of Older Persons is celebrated around the world. The history of this date lies in the development of human society. Throughout history, people have strived to increase their life span while simultaneously fearing old age. But before the advent of the 20th century, living to an old age was not at all easy. Epidemics, wars, harsh conditions, and poor medicine prevented a long life span. Only in the 20th century, having overcome many global human problems, people were faced with an increase in the so-called survival period. If in 1950 the average life expectancy was 46 years, then by 2010 it increased to 68. Sociologists predict further growth, calling the real figure 81 years for the end of this century. So, by 2050, the number of elderly people will increase to 20% of the total humanity. And this is 1/5 of society, and it is extremely important for society to give this part the opportunity to be necessary, useful and in demand. Summarizing all the above facts, the UN in 1990 established the celebration of the Day of Older Persons for Europe. And by the end of the year, all of America and Asia joined the celebration. Elderly people have been called the value of society, because they are the custodians of memory, experience and traditions. Numerous congresses, conferences, and charity events began to articulate the rights of older people and highlight their special role in social processes. Each year is dedicated to a specific problematic topic related to older people. Thus, in 2005, the theme of the year was the problems of aging in the new millennium, with the focus on the development opportunities of older women. In 2007, realizing the opportunities associated with aging became a pressing issue. And in 2012, longevity as a way to shape the future. Features of aging in megacities and cities became the topic of 2015. In Russia, the official celebration of Older People's Day began in 1992. Today, the issue of raising the retirement age is a pressing issue, which has many supporters and opponents. On the one hand, when a person retires, he experiences enormous stress and feels useless. On the other hand, many years of work should bring well-deserved rest and a decent monetary allowance. And this is just one of the many problems of a growing percentage of the population of retirement age. October 1 is a wonderful occasion to say words of gratitude to your family, friends, and work colleagues, to share your experience in solving problems and to express new ideas for improving the quality of life of people of deserved age.