United Nations International Day of Older Persons
I am pleased to join with multiple global organizations and celebrate the United Nations International Day of Older Persons, October 1, 2022. The 2022 theme is Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World that offers a unique and complimentary approach across countries. Thank you for this awareness and support from my conversations with Canadian and USA colleagues a few months ago.
Clarity came to me this year on letting go of the past data with old government systems and embrace living longer and healthier lives because of new ideas and innovations supporting each of us. These new ideas are changing each of us and our daily stories are all valued.
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| Older Women Collaborating on Story Ideas Picture is Shared Courtesy centre for aging better unsplash photographer |
I celebrate the special New York Commemoration “The Resilience of Contributions of Older Women” because I am a part of three generations of women throughout the past 100 years.
“While older women continue to meaningfully contribute to their political, civil, economic, social and cultural lives; their contributions and experiences remain largely invisible and disregarded, limited by gendered disadvantages accumulated throughout the life course.”
“UNIDOP 2022 is a call to action and opportunity aimed to embrace the voices of older women and showcase their resilience and contributions in society.”
Objectives of International Day of Older Persons 2022 #UNIDOP2022:
- To highlight the resilience of older women in the face of environmental, social, economic and lifelong inequalities
- To raise awareness of the importance of improved world-wide data collection, disaggregated by age and gender
- To call on member states, UN entities, UN Women, and civil society to include older women in the center of all policies, ensuring gender equality as described in the Secretary-General’s report, Our Common Agenda
Three Generations of Women - My Celebration Story
Mother and I are a part of three generations of women stories who have seen the milestone achievement of 1919 of women voting rights amendment in USA, career women working outside the home during the second world war, balance of raising family, and contributing to local communities they are a part of.
My Grandmothers lived a short distance from each other in Kansas and Oklahoma in the early 1900s in USA without ever knowing each other. They both shared the experience of relocating to different locations and starting lives and beginnings in their new communities - one moved across state lines and the other relocated as an immigrant from another country each focused on a better life for themselves and family.
Mother, Teacher, and Career Woman
Mother was a child when women received the right to vote, and I have her silent example of how important it is as a female to have our voting opportunity, She never missed the opportunity to vote in each election and I follow this example today.
Mother, graduated from college and worked first as a school teacher. I saw multiple people, students, return several years later and tell her thank you and how she helped to change their life. She saw the many challenges as a working woman in the 1940s yet resilient and never giving up. She never spoke about the working challenges she encountered.
My siblings and I had this same teacher in our childhood years, she was caregiver to her parents with cancer and late life diseases, and as a community activist during this part of her life. The fourth cycle she enjoyed her time with children and grandchildren, travel, and as a painter with self-expression.
I thank her and all older women across the world who continue to face inequalities and show us what great role models look like - we can and will continue to do better.
And Celebrating My Family Roots Stories ~ The Fun Guru Tour
#UNIDOP2022
