older persons
27 September 2006
The Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, will on Sunday, 1
October 2006, launch Social Development Month with a Grandparents Day
celebration at the Katlehong Old Age Home at Katlehong, Ekurhuleni
Municipality.
The United Nations (UN) designated 1 October each year as the International
Day for Older Persons and the first Sunday of October as Grandparents Day, to
be celebrated all over the world.
"We urge all in our country to use Sunday, 1 October, as a day to reflect,
appreciate and celebrate the presence of older persons in their midst. The day
provides an opportunity for all to demonstrate their gratitude for the wisdom,
love and support they obtain from grandparents and older persons generally in
their homes and communities. Grandparents Day should also be used to promote a
more positive view of ageing in our society. We trust that in our places of
worship, places of entertainment and everywhere else where people will converge
on Sunday the role of older persons will be remembered and celebrated by all,"
said Minister Skweyiya.
Dr Skweyiya will use the Grandparents Day celebration to launch this year's
Social Development Month (October) activities which will be dedicated to
promote services that support older persons. The activities by the national and
provincial social development departments will promote ageing as a natural
progression of life and as a privilege and achievement, rather than a
burden.
Said Minister Skweyiya, "The current image of older persons tends to be that
of people who are a burden on society and who no longer have a contribution to
make. They are often described in terms of cost factors or as requiring more
and more help and support which is incorrect. In the workplace, ageing is
viewed as expiration and the positive attributes of wisdom, experience and
institutional memory are ignored. Fortunately the new global approach to ageing
is holistic and positive. It promotes the full participation of older persons
in development processes".
The Minister added that government is working towards promoting a new
progressive way of looking at ageing. This will be achieved through various
programmes including legislation, such as the Older Persons Bill which was
passed by Parliament in March this year.
The October activities will seek to achieve the following objectives:
* to celebrate, promote and highlight the enormous contribution of older
persons to South African life in all spheres, from private households to
communities and the nation at large
* to promote the building of a value system for social cohesion in a caring
society and to promote intergenerational solidarity and support
* to educate older persons on how to access the old age grant and to raise
awareness about the activities of micro-lenders and short-term insurance
salespeople who hound the elderly at pension pay points
* to sensitise older persons about HIV and AIDS and its impact on them as care
givers and also as infected and affected persons
* urge retired professionals such as social workers, nurses, teachers to use
their skills to develop communities and assist in challenges the nation
faces
* sensitise the youth to care and support their grandparents and to actively
participate in volunteer programmes such as anti-elder abuse campaigns, clean
up campaigns at old age homes and others.
Background information
Statistics South Africa 2001 revealed that there were 3,2 million older
persons in the country, which translated to 7,3 percent of the total
population. It is predicted that this number will increase. The province with
the highest proportion of older persons is KwaZulu-Natal with 19,6 percent,
Eastern Cape followed with 18 percent, Gauteng with 16,6 percent and Limpopo
with 12,4 percent. The province with the lowest percentage is Northern Cape
with 2,1 percent.
The largest group among older persons is black African, comprising 67,7
percent of the aged population. Almost half of older persons (42,9 percent) in
the country have had no formal schooling. Older persons living in urban areas
are more likely to have had formal schooling and generally to have progressed
further in education than older persons living in rural communities. It was
also found that only 7,8 percent of females managed to reach grade 12 as
compared to 10,7 percent of males.
The media is invited to attend the Grandparents Day celebration at the
Katlehong Old Age Home, which will begin at 10h00. Dr Skweyiya will be joined
by the Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Mr Kgaogelo Lekgoro.
Enquiries:
Lakela Kaunda
Cell: 082 782 2575
Issued by: Department of Social Development
27 September 2006
