About 30 elderly people at the Daan Viljoen Old Age Home at Keetmanshoop on Friday gathered to commemorate the International Day for Older Persons organised by the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
The International Day of Older Persons was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1990 and this year marks the 31st anniversary under the theme ‘Digital equity for all ages.’
Speaking at the event, ||Kharas Governor, Aletha Frederick said amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become more important to understand the struggles old people go through and steps must be taken to raise awareness of their special needs.
She said the fourth industrial revolution characterized by rapid sdigital innovation has transformed all sectors of society, including how people live, work and relate to one another.
“Therefore, we have accepted that we are living in a technological world that advances and offer great hope for accelerating progress towards the sustainable development goals,” she cited.
Frederick said recent reports by the International Telecommunications Union indicate that women and older persons experience digital inequity to a greater extent than other groups in society.
“It means that older persons do not have adequate access to technologies or are often not benefitting fully from the opportunities provided by technology. While efforts to connect more people are currently underway, new risks have become apparent such as cybercrimes and misinformation that threaten the human rights privacy, and security of older people,” she said.
Seventy-year-old, Anna Forbes who has been living at the old age for the last eight years extended a word of gratitude towards the health ministry for celebrating the day with them.
“This day is a very special day for me, we thank the young people for coming here to dance, laugh and play drama. They are reminding us that we were once young and that makes us feel young again. We thank the government and everyone that made this day possible, we appreciate it,” she said.
The elders received food parcels and a hot meal, while First National Bank of Namibia donated N.dollars 5 000 towards the old age home.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
