In the February meeting of the SEDEC Commission, the future demographic challenge for the EU was a topic of discussion. One side of the challenge is the general acknowledgement that the EU population is ageing and we must make provision for it.
Cllr McCarthy noted that forward planning must take into account the older demographic, the celebration of age and the valuing of the older generation’s contribution to society. “The EU is a very different place for those who grew up in it thirty years. We have moved from confinement of movement to freedom of movement. There are many centres across the EU for ageing research. In my own country Ireland, we have an Ageing Research and Development Division within our public health division. They have compiled much evidence on the lessons to be learned from the current older generation. They encourage collaboration in their research and co-operation between agencies to construct analysis, to explore the nature of well-being amongst our senior generation”.
Continuing Cllr McCarthy noted that: “Ireland recently has been pursuing an Age Friendly National Programme. It comprises of a community and practical led model. Twenty local authorities have put together Age Action plans, which respond to Age related needs. Local authorities do have a role to play on aspects such as the provision of accessible housing for seniors, the encouragement of social participation through life learning, communication to our most vulnerable, the provision of employment services for those who still have not reached retirement age, the role of sustainable health services coupled with the need to provide more residential health care, more hospital care, more GPs, the need for safe outdoor space, and the need for community-led models of care. Such provisions need to be discussed across the EU to meet the ageing problem. We need to make the EU a great space to grow old in. We need to promote positive attitudes to ageing and address stereotypes about older people”.
