Blogs

Chronic illness – getting older people on the agenda

It should be a no-brainer. When the UN convened a summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to take place in New York this September, ageing and older people should have been high on the agenda. No reference to older people...

Death in Borena – worst drought since 2000?

The sickly sweet stench of rotting cattle flesh overwhelmed us as we arrived in one of the kebeles (neighbourhood) in Dire woreda (district), Orimiya region, Ethiopia to check out the current drought situation. The horror of decaying carcasses at...

Your opinion counts! Tell us how we’re doing

Two years ago, we asked you for your views on our publications, newsletters, blogs and social media. We then used your comments to give you what you wanted: Specific facts, figures and maps on all the regions (and countries)...

World Health Day: Older people need access to healthcare

In expanding our work on health, we aim to significantly improve the number of older people receiving good quality health and care services. Rapid global ageing, the increase of non-communicable diseases (strokes, diabetes, cancer, dementia, etc...) in th

Recovering after typhoon Ketsana

I travelled to the Philippines last month to see the work we have been carrying out through our partner in response to typhoon Ketsana. Throughout my trip I saw how older people have been and are still working to...

Haiti: No easy answer

Election results in Haiti are due out today. For whoever wins there will be no easy answer. Unemployment is at 80%. For the hundreds of thousands of families still living in cramped camps over a year after the earthquake...

Ageing in the media: Japan earthquake and tsunami

As regular readers of this blog know, older people in disasters rarely make the headlines. Japan, of course, has changed that. Many media commentators have said that the distinguishing feature of this particular disaster will be the numbers of...

Japan earthquake: Why older people could be the hardest hit

Since Friday, terrifying images of the tsunami devastating eastern Japan have rolled out on news channels all over the world. Reporters are desperate for information and angles but one new story is clearly emerging - how Japan's large population...