International Day of Older Persons
International Day of Older Persons aims to promote the development of a society for all ages, due to the increasing aging population. Europe is home to one of the largest numbers of older persons, beaten only by Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. So, it is important society can operate with the largely ageing populations across the world and this day brings attention to this.
International Day of Older Persons is celebrated annually on the 1st of October. The theme for 2023 is TBC.
International Day of Older Persons and Employment
An ageing population often means an ageing workforce. People are living longer and so, they are working longer too. Workplaces need to ensure they are suitable for people of all ages and consider the needs of an ageing workforce or a workforce that includes older people. This can be achieved by:
- Using International Day of Older Persons to highlight the contributions of older people, their important in a successful organisation and generally raise awareness.
- Ensure policies and procedures are inclusive
- Offer reasonable adjustments to all
- Encourage older people to apply for jobs and ensure discrimination is not present when workforce planning
- Provide awareness training for all employees
- Analyse staff surveys and performance ratings to both get feedback and ensure older people are not being discriminated against.
- Provide opportunities for older people to retrain.
