Elderly Week: Respect seniors, youths told

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) yesterday led the kickoff activity for the celebration of the Elderly Filipino Week.

The DOH and PhilHealth organized the “Walk for Life for the Elderly 2016” at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial urged the youth to honor and respect the elderly because of their sacrifices for the family and society.

“We won’t be where we are now if not for our elderly. We are enjoying a strong and healthy nation because of them,” she said.

Ubial said the government acknowledges the role of the elderly in society through various laws that would benefit them, including automatic PhilHealth coverage for senior citizens.

The Walk for Life event was also held in other parts of the country, including Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.

Around 500 senior citizens joined the event spearheaded by the DOH office in Mimaropa.

“The event aims to encourage the practice of healthy lifestyle and wellness among the elderly and to provide awareness on the health benefits of senior citizens under the Lifetime Member and Senior Citizen Programs of PhilHealth,” Eduardo Janairo, DOH regional director for Mimaropa, said.

“It is the government’s means of expressing gratitude to the elderly for the services they provided in keeping our generation safe and healthy,” he added.

A new analysis of the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that “negative or ageist attitudes toward older people are widespread” and “affect older people’s physical and mental health.”

According to WHO, 60 percent of the respondents in the “World Values Survey” showed that older people are not respected.

More than 83, 000 people in 57 countries took part in the survey, which assessed attitudes toward older people across all age groups. The lowest levels of respect were reported in high-income countries.

WHO director of Ageing and Life Course John Beard said the analysis confirmed that ageism is extremely common.

“Yet most people are completely unaware of the subconscious stereotypes they hold about older people. Like sexism and racism, changing social norms is possible,” he said.

“It is time to stop defining people by their age. It will result in more prosperous, equitable and healthier societies,” he added.

The WHO report stated that “negative attitude about ageing and older people also have significant consequences for the physical and mental health of older adults.”

It shows that older people who feel they are a burden perceive their lives to be less valuable, putting them at risk of depression and social isolation.

It is estimated that by 2025 the number of people aged 60 and over will double, and by 2050 will reach two billion globally, with the vast majority of older people living in low and middle income countries.

“Society will benefit from this ageing population if we all age more healthily,” Alana Officer, WHO coordinator of Ageing and Life Course, said.

“But to do this, we must stamp out ageist prejudices,” Officer said.