The United Nations has declared 2021-2030 as the decade of Healthy Ageing. The UN recognizes health as central to the experience of ageing. The initiatives are to: “change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing; facilitate the ability of older people to participate in and contribute to their communities and society; deliver integrated care and primary health services that are responsive to the needs of the individual, and provide access to long-term care for older people who need it.”.
The prevalence of ageing in our society is much revealed by the world crisis. Have you heard anybody say, "They were in long-term care anyway, so they shouldn't get the same level of care as younger people"? We probably haven't heard that belief spoken right out loud, but it has been at work. No person is expendable. Everybody should have the same rights, whether they are old or young.
We need to create a new normal. We must not return to the way things were. We should emerge from this strange world of masks and distancing with renewed expectations. When this is all over will there be a new recognition of the human rights of everyone? This will take vigilance and effort. Perhaps the care homeowners who put greed and profits ahead of their responsibilities to provide for their residents in appropriate ways will reform themselves, but we all know that is unlikely to happen. It is up to governments to ignore the lobbyists and adopt federal standards.
See more information at https://www.who.int/news/item/14-12-2020-decade-of- healthy-ageing-a-new-un-wide-initiative.
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