Social Development Ministry marks Int’l Day of Older Persons

AMMAN — On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, which is annually celebrated on October 1, the Ministry of Social Development is presenting care services to the elderly and issuing licences for elderly houses, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The number of elderly people in Jordan stands at 540,000 according to the 2015 census, 99 per cent of whom live among their families, Social Development Ministry Spokesperson Fawwaz Ratrout said on Saturday.

He noted that there are 10 houses for the elderly in Jordan; six of them are affiliated with charity societies and four with the private sector. The ministry supervises the conditions of the elderly residents who total to 355 and incurs the costs of hosting more than half of them, Ratrout added.

This year’s theme for the International Day of Older Persons is: “Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in Society,” according to the UN website.

This day is about enabling and expanding the contributions of older people towards their families, communities and society at large, the website stated, adding that it focuses on the pathways that support full and effective participation in old age, in accordance with old persons’ basic rights, needs and preferences.

This year’s theme highlights the link between tapping the talents and contributions of older persons and achieving the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which is currently undergoing its third review and appraisal process.

Between 2015 and 2030, the period set to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the number of senior citizens worldwide is set to increase by 56 per cent — from 901 million to more than 1.4 billion. 

By 2030, the number of people aged 60 and above will exceed that of young people between the ages of 15 and 24, the website added.