Five things you can do to help older people across the world in 2022
As we enter a new year and consider what small ways we can make a difference in 2022, here are five actions you can take today to help older people around the world.
1. Help save the life of an older person in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster. Older people in Afghanistan have already lived through 40 years of conflict and economic crisis, with the situation worsening yet again since the events in the summer of 2021. The country is suffering its worst drought in almost 30 years and, as hunger and malnutrition reach record levels, more than 8 million people are on the brink of famine.
As the harsh winter sets in on Afghanistan, thousands of older people without adequate food, fuel for warmth and the basic necessities will struggle to survive the coming months.
You can help to provide life-saving aid to them and their families by donating to our Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.
2. Reframe ageing
Ageism is all around us. From the often negative and outdated stereotypes on TV, to ‘anti-ageing’ face creams. Damaging words and images are presented often, influencing without us even realising – how many times have you heard the words 'frail' or 'vulnerable' linked to older people?
This year, present a different picture of older people. Challenge stereotypes and speak positively about ageing and the value that older people bring.
Read this piece by Niall Ryan from CharityComms and learn more about how you can help to reframe the narrative and strengthen perceptions on later life.
3. Sign our petition calling for older women to be included in the Government’s international agenda
If you haven’t already done so, please sign our petition calling on the UK Government to give more support to older women, especially those living in some of the world’s poorest countries.
This urgent action draws on the finding of our report, Older Women: the hidden workforce, which listens and gives voice to older women’s experience of work in Ethiopia and Malawi and the systemic failures many older women face on a daily basis and which consistently undermine their efforts to survive and live with dignity.
4. Support a UN Convention for the Rights of Older People
Older people around the world face discrimination every day, and the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the inequalities we're exposed to when we're older. We need to change this. A UN convention would trigger legal and social changes, along with better access to services.
It’s time for a UN convention.
5. Encourage decision-makers to include older people in humanitarian responses
Older people, despite the risks they face during emergencies, are marginalised and in some cases excluded by the humanitarian aid response.
In 2020, together with our partner HelpAge International, we launched the ‘If not now, when?’ report which provides urgent recommendations for humanitarian actors, donors and agencies for an inclusive humanitarian response for older people.