Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

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Chapter 4: The voices of older persons Older people are also reportedly taken advantage of as guarantors for younger people. “We cannot get bank loans because we are too old, but we can be loan guarantors. So the banks, knowing the financial situation of younger generations, usually take us as guarantors and do not inform us that those young people are not able to pay off the loans. We become victims and pay off other people’s loans for years.” urban Bosnia and Herzegovina In Bangladesh, women are often prioritized in accessing credit, although one participant alleged that men benefit from this. “Women are the vehicle for men to borrow money from NGOs, since NGOs only provide credit to women.” urban Bangladesh 8 Poverty and the value of pensions Those who took part in the discussions suggest that old age is often experienced as a time of worries about poverty as income declines. Relatively few older people have access to any kind of pension, except in the more developed countries. They are aware of the importance of having their own income in old age, and when this is not available, they express frustration. “If we could get a pension or cash benefit … we would be able to fulfil our basic needs … and this is crucial to enhance our confidence and respect from the community.” rural Ethiopia “People who can afford to pay their own expenses are more respected. If I do not have money, can I beg for it? No, I would be ashamed.” urban Paraguay “The pension reflects the image of older people. If the pension is low we cannot talk about a good life and well-being of older people.” rural Moldova When older people have access to pensions they are generally satisfied with the system of disbursement. “I started receiving my pension two years ago. I have bought bricks to build my house. I can access basic needs more easily.” rural Uganda “Social pensions have brought visible changes in older people’s life and dignity.” rural Bangladesh “In the past, housewives who did not work did not have a pension. Now they do.” Chile “I have a shelter, I can afford food. I have enough money – the Old Age Security is not much but it is enough. My health isn’t too bad either, so I have no worries.” urban Canada Access to pensions Older people often report having difficulties in accessing pensions. The participants in all but the developed countries find the procedures for applying difficult, requiring them to fill in forms and submit documentation. They also say that they encounter discrimination in determining eligibility. “We are eligible for the LEAP 9 cash transfer yet we do not know the procedure for accessing it. We have brought this to the notice of the Department of Social Welfare so many times but nothing seems to happen.” urban Ghana “I want the Government to reduce the legitimate age for the social allowance from 80 to 70, or at least 75, because older people at 70 years and above already need a lot of help and support.” urban Viet Nam Ownership of basic assets, such as a refrigerator, may render an applicant ineligible for the benefit, irrespective of how low their income is. “I was deemed ineligible as a result of the means test for a non-contributory pension because I have a stove, a radio, a TV and a refrigerator. But I have no food, I have no money.” Belize The physical effort required to claim the pension can also be taxing. “Queuing for long hours to collect our monthly pension salary with no protection from the sun or a seat, with no priority given to older people, has been a problem for a long time.” rural Ethiopia “Sometimes you are required to travel to the capital city for what they claim to be verification that you are not dead. Such trips are always traumatic.... I have friends and relatives who have died while in the endless queue for their pensions.” urban Nigeria 146 Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and A Challenge
“Pension fund officers treat older people very rudely. Last month my sister was at the local pension fund office. As she came into the office, nobody offered her a seat. She had to stand during the meeting, while the officer was sitting!” urban Ukraine Pensions and inflation Pensions, if available at all, are generally felt to be too low, especially with rising prices for food and other basic needs. “Income among older people has reduced; it is difficult to find an older person with enough money to meet their needs in this community.” rural Uganda “The rising cost of living and lack of options for poor older people to sustain their life are becoming a serious problem…. They are unable to cope with the changes and … many of them are forced to come out onto the street and beg.” urban Ethiopia “Older people in general have skills in agriculture, but there are fewer jobs available for us. So the income of older people is decreasing. Also the value of money is decreasing, so we cannot buy things which we could buy 10 years ago.” rural Nepal The diminishing value of the pension due to inflation is a common concern for older people in all regions, in urban as well as in rural areas. “Many years ago, older people could have bought a car or a house or gone on long holidays with their retirement grants and pensions but now it is completely different. We can just pay for basic goods and services. I am not even talking about going to a concert or the cinema.” urban Turkey “When I retired my pension was high enough to meet all my needs; and now I have to think what I can permit myself.” Belarus “The pension is getting smaller and the costs are rising.” rural Germany Access to basic services Participants report that older people are often unable to pay for basic necessities, even if they are in receipt of a small pension, and fear that their situation will deteriorate once they are not able to work anymore. “We go to supermarkets as if we are going to a museum; there is everything we need but we cannot afford anything.” urban Kyrgyzstan “We feed people here at the senior citizens club and ask them to make a contribution of $2.00 but a lot of people don’t have this.” Belize “Up to now we have been able to maintain our house, but when we are too old, we will not be able to work. Will our house fall apart? What is going to happen when my husband and I cannot work anymore?” Paraguay “You need medicines and those are so expensive that your pension is far from covering them. After buying medicines almost nothing remains to survive on by noon. How can we speak about living till the next month?” rural Bosnia and Herzegovina “We are on our way into poverty.” rural Austria Many participants say that they are poor because they were not in formal employment throughout their lives. This applies particularly to women. In Northern and Western Europe, and Canada, older women are thought to be at higher risk of poverty because they have never worked in paid employment or have worked in low-paid jobs. “The fact that poverty in older age has increased is often focused on women. In our generation many women didn’t work and they raised their children, so that now they don’t get much pension.” rural Germany The employment situation of adult children often has a direct impact on older people’s financial situation. Participants note that there are older people whose children are unemployed who use their small pensions to support their children and grandchildren or, in extreme cases, even go on the street to beg. “There are five people at home and they all depend on my pension. None of my children works. There are older people who contribute to their families, and children and grandchildren live with the older person and depend on them.” urban Brazil 147
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Ageing in the Twenty-First Century:
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Ageing in the Twenty-First Century:
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Contents 6 List of abbreviations 7
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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements O
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Preface This is a special year for
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HelpAge International Foreword Fore
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In 1950, there were 205 million per
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The way forward In many parts of th
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Chapter 1 of the report provides an
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Chapter 1: Setting the scene In 195
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Discussions with older people in So
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There are also marked sub-regional
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The difference between current life
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The implications of increasing life
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The challenges of population ageing
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The response: The Madrid Internatio
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When the law was passed we started
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Chapter 2: A fresh look at evidence
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I take care of eight grandchildren
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Older people in the Philippines mar
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Income security in old age The chal
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A major challenge in interpreting p
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social (non-contributory) pensions
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The global financial and economic c
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Table 2: Selection of social pensio
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South Africa’s Old Age Pension co
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I’m lucky to have a large pension
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Antonio Olmos/HelpAge International
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Computer training in Ireland. Rapid
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Transforming lives through literacy
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The rise of non-communicable diseas
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Dementia - a global concern Dementi
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Risk factors for chronic diseases T
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Many of the determinants of poor he
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Hospital care in Haiti. Older peopl
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Living longer with HIV Among infect
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Training of care providers and heal
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Age-friendly environments “Whatev
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Fixed-rate bus fares for people age
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In the UK, 45 per cent of 55-75 yea
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Workers in rural informal labour fo
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Urban life also has negative aspect
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Ageing and environmental change Cli
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A refugee in Dadaab, Kenya. A surve
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Global response In the past 10 year
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In Myanmar, volunteers from older p
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I give my mother my love “My moth
Page 95 and 96: Exposing elder abuse and discrimina
Page 97 and 98: Government response Few countries h
Page 99 and 100: Teresa Minja of the Tanzania Social
Page 101 and 102: On a different yet equally importan
Page 103 and 104: News, television, film and advertis
Page 105 and 106: Chapter 3: A review of progress The
Page 107 and 108: At least 17 countries have approved
Page 109 and 110: Table 2: Examples of surveys and re
Page 111 and 112: In a few countries, including the D
Page 113 and 114: South Africa’s National Archives
Page 115 and 116: Residents and staff of a care home
Page 117 and 118: Regional preparations for the secon
Page 119 and 120: Regional Strategy for Implementatio
Page 121 and 122: Since 2011, Peru’s National Solid
Page 123 and 124: A great-grandmother in Viet Nam, wh
Page 125 and 126: In preparation for an analysis of p
Page 127 and 128: More specific recommendations are:
Page 129 and 130: service policies across sectors and
Page 131 and 132: In some countries, programmes to su
Page 133 and 134: Chapter 4: The voices of older pers
Page 135 and 136: Older persons’ responses to the M
Page 137 and 138: Health in older age Overall, partic
Page 139 and 140: In Kyrgyzstan, older people raised
Page 141 and 142: Some also refer to the shifting rel
Page 143 and 144: “Older people were also invited t
Page 145: “Older women can do many things.
Page 149 and 150: “In the past there was only one h
Page 151 and 152: “People with mental disorders are
Page 153 and 154: In various aspects of daily life, o
Page 155 and 156: Another barrier to tackling abuse -
Page 157 and 158: Based on these recommendations, a f
Page 159 and 160: Chapter 5: The way forward “Older
Page 161 and 162: concern in developed countries, whi
Page 163 and 164: Capacity development for an ageing
Page 165 and 166: Specific actions according to the P
Page 167 and 168: Percentage of total population aged
Page 179 and 180: 7. Unemployment rate of older perso
Page 181 and 182: 17. Number and proportion of public
Page 183 and 184: In most countries, it proved feasib
Page 185 and 186: 30. OECD, Pensions at a Glance 2009
Page 187 and 188: 156. UNAIDS, Together We Will End A
Page 189 and 190: 286. US States Government Accountab
Page 191 and 192: UNFPA, the United Nations Populatio
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Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

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