Persons Urged to Manage Ageing Properly

Persons are being urged to ensure that their well-being and ageing are managed properly long before the age of retirement, as they add to social protection when incomes are reduced.

Making the call, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., said as Jamaica observes the United Nations (UN) Decade of Healthy Ageing, the health and well-being of older people are essential for them to enjoy basic human rights and live with dignity.

“This requires the intentional and sustained efforts of all of government, the private sector, community and church organisations, families, working-age adults, the youth and senior citizens themselves,” the Minister said.

He was delivering the keynote address at the launch of Senior Citizens Week, at the AC Mariott Hotel in New Kingston, today (September 19).

The Minister said the Ministry is continuing on the path of providing “effective social protection services” that empower individuals and their families, noting that senior citizens currently benefit from National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pension services, and Social Pension benefits for persons 75 years and older who do not have pension or access to other steady sources of income.

He pointed out that the UN Sustainable Development Goals call for the improvement of the lives of older people, their families and the communities in which they live, adding that creating age-friendly environments would enable elderly persons, irrespective of their level of physical or mental capacity, to continue to do the things they value and live dignified lives.

Several activities have been planned for Senior Citizens Month, including World Alzheimer’s Day on September 21; National Grandparents Day, to be celebrated on Sunday, September 24; the UN International Day of Older Persons, to be observed October 1; Ageing Fair in Emancipation Park on October 5, and a 2K Purple Run/Walk on October 8 in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

“I encourage senior citizens and their families to participate wherever possible. We also encourage you to plan your own activities within your spaces and to share your stories with us. Together, we can make the experience of growing older a time of ‘spring’ or ‘rebirth’, a phase of renewal after a lifetime of working and raising children,” the Minister told his audience.