International Day of Older Persons

Established by the UN in 1990, this day highlights the health challenges and valuable contributions of older adults while calling for better geriatric care, social inclusion, and protection of their rights.

Moving from thinking about population ageing as a challenge to recognizing longevity as a major social transformation that requires health, social, economic and physical environments to adapt.

• Develop specialized geriatric clinics
• Ensure access to mobility aids and long-term care
• Promote cognitive health programs
• Promote healthy ageing across the entire life course.
• Design health and social-care systems for populations living longer.
• Support functional ability, independence and quality of life in older age.
• Ensure equitable access to healthcare, medicines and long-term care.
• Make communities, housing and transportation more age-friendly and accessible.
• Create age-friendly healthcare environments
• Protect older people from age discrimination.
• Strengthen social protection and financial security in later life.
• Support older people who provide care to spouses, relatives and communities.
• Recognize older persons as contributors, caregivers, leaders and participants, rather than viewing them solely as recipients of care.
• Strengthen intergenerational relationships and participation.
• Ensure older people have meaningful opportunities for lifelong learning, work and social participation where they choose.
• Incorporate older people's experiences and preferences into policies that affect their lives.

• Healthy ageing
• Population ageing
• Geriatric medicine
• Active ageing
• Chronic disease management in the elderly
• Ageism
• Life expectancy
• Age discrimination
• Social protection
• Universal health coverage
• Long-term care
• Age-friendly communities
• Intergenerational solidarity
• Caregiving
• Elder rights
• Quality of life
• Healthy life expectancy
• Lifelong learning
• Social inclusion