 November/December 1999 (XXXVII 5) |
n September 30, I made my first visit to the United Nations, for the observance of the 9th annual International Day of Older Persons. This year is also the International Year of Older Persons, the theme of which is: "Towards a Society for All Ages — Across Generations/Across Cultures."
My work with older Friends is largely within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's boundaries, so I was glad to be given the big picture. Worldwide, 10% of the population is age 60 or older now. By 2050, 20% of the population will be 60 or over, and 4% will be over 80. Those who are over 60 will outnumber those who are under 15.
The program, attended by about 800 people, included speakers from India, the Dominican Republic, Spain, the Ukraine, Jamaica, Brazil and the United States. The Brazilian speaker, from the World Health Organization, observed that his grandparents had 13 and 17 siblings, respectively, and when the grandparents needed care in old age, it was provided by the family. But now Brazilian women have only 2.6 children, on average. Who will care for the older people? "The developed world got rich before it got old, but the developing world is getting old first." This relatively sudden change in the world's population is a great challenge to humankind.
My thanks to Theresa Fitzgibbon, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's representative to the U.N., for alerting me to this program and acting as my guide.
Elizabeth R. (Betsy) Balderston
Goshen Meeting (PA)
PYM coordinator of aging programs
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM