Older People Testimonies from Around the World

The second session of the Open Ended Working Group on Ageing is coming up in August. Registration is now available for NGOs holding consultative status with the ECOSOC Council of the UN. Global Action on Aging believes that others - organizations or individuals - who do not have this status should be able to describe specific human rights of older persons that they need in their countries. GAA asked its subscribers to send testimonies about how the cutback in pensions, social security and health services impacts their daily lives. Here’s a sample of letters that we have received so far. Send yours now! We will keep updating as we have more.

Turkey

In Turkey I see human rights abuse when retired workers do not receive equal salaries or equal social security payments. Cafer Tufan Yazicioglu. http://mailto:tfnyazici@yahoo.com/

United States of America

JJ and I have been married for over 60 years. Most of those years we paid taxes and did continuous volunteer work. JJ is a retired World War Two naval veteran. His frightening diagnosis of Alzheimer’s interrupted our retirement years. The State of Oregon and Lane County offer us coordinated programs (free or reduced medical care) and half time domestic care each day. We benefit from the services of local care people who are trained for this work. They have training and education in nursing and therapy. These services are necessary for a healthy nation. We are saved from the “poor farms” and the breadlines of the US Depression.

United States of America

I could not continue to live as I do without Sec. 8 (for housing) and Medicare. I also have insurance through AARP for prescription medicine but I do not take any. I urge you to listen to the CD from Interface Voices for early June - an interview with a Dr. Agrian (??) who speaks so well for those of us who, though aged (I'm 87 but not infirm), are often presumed to be unable to participate in politics --or, in the name of gov. programs are prevented from keeping ourselves and others informed. You can get information about that interview from Maureen Fiedler

Maureen@interfaithradio.org

United States of America

It is fact that UN is moving toward defining and guaranteeing older persons’ human rights. But will these rights guarantee the legitimate dues to employees who have retired from a profit- making PSU of Govt. of India during 1996 , followed by divestment in 2000? Many of these employees who are still alive have been fighting for their small dues which a negotiating body mismanaged. We believe that the negotiating body ruled that the employees’ service condition did not include a pension benefit.