Community

The 2018 theme of UNIDOP is “Celebrating Older Human Rights Champions“. What better way to celebrate this Day than by celebrating the older people around the world who dedicate their lives to championing human rights? The 2018 theme aims to: Promote the rights enshrined in the Declaration and what it means …

We all know that the health system is gearing up to cope with an ageing population, but what about the legal system? There are many laws that specifically affect older people that potentially could do with a review as our society has changed a lot since most of them were …

With banks operating stricter rules on lending, and property prices rising, many adult children have been leaning on the bank of mum and dad to give them a leg up on to the property market. So many, in fact, that the bank of mum and dad has been given an …

Let us imagine for a moment – you are 86 and are wanting to open a bank account with another bank – because of your eyesight you are no longer able to drive, so when your drivers licence came up for renewal two years ago you did not renew it. …

Thought of spending your kids inheritance? This concept now even has a new term dubbed “SKI’ing” – spend your kids inheritance. Below are five reasons why this is a great idea. Life is way too short to delay having fun You’ve worked all your life despite the long hours, difficult …

Elder abuse is a global problem.  International studies report that 3% – 10% of older people experience abuse or neglect each year.  It happens to men and women of every religious, cultural, ethnic and income group. However, much abuse goes unreported.  It has been estimated that only 16% of all abuse …

There has been some publicity recently about neglect and abuse of older people in residential care facilities. These cases have prompted some serious inquires into the level of care provided. Institutional abuse, although much less common, can occur in places such as residential care homes, rehabilitation and continuing care wards, as …

Financial abuse, along with, and often combined with, psychological abuse is probably the most common form of elder abuse. In New Zealand it is estimated that approximately half of all elder abuse cases involved financial abuse. What is it and why does it matter? The World Health Organisation defines financial …

“Elder Abuse and Neglect is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. Definition adopted from WHO Toronto Declaration on the Global Prevention of Elder Abuse, 2002 Up …

Many people plan to do some form of volunteering after they retire. As we learnt in What is a silver economy? it’s estimated older people contributed a total of $8.5 billion to their communities through unpaid and voluntary work in New Zealand. Over 65s have spent hours visiting older people, delivering meals, …