October 1 - International Day of Older Persons

October 1, 2024, marks the International Day of Older Persons. On December 14, 1990, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 45/106, decided to observe October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons.

Initially, the Day of Older Persons began to be celebrated in Europe, then in America, and by the late 1990s, it was observed worldwide. The International Day of Older Persons was established to draw society's attention to the problems of the elderly, the issue of demographic aging of the entire population, and to seek opportunities to improve the quality of life of our pensioners.

As a rule, people who have reached retirement age are called elderly. In the Republic of Belarus, this age for men is 63 years, and for women – 58 years. Retirement is a major stress factor for a person, as their life changes drastically from this moment on. They cease their work activities, losing the opportunity for self-realization. If a person is healthy, vigorous, full of energy, and actively participates in social and sports life, then old age for them is a conditional concept. If desired, people can live a full life even in old age. It is impossible to escape old age, but it is always possible to prolong happy years of life. Some feel that old age is approaching as early as 40-50 years old, but there are always those who feel young even at 80. It depends solely on ourselves, our attitudes, and desires, when our old age will come, and whether it will come at all. One can learn a healthy lifestyle at any age.

The celebration of the Day of Older Persons helps us to support and thank the elderly, to show that they are very dear to us and we appreciate them for what they have done for the younger generation and what they are doing for us now.

With retirement, life does not end, but merely provides an opportunity to finally realize oneself in what there was not enough time for before and to successfully apply one's talents.

The International Day of Older Persons is another reason to express our love, care, support, and respect to our elderly relatives and loved ones, who need them so much.

Take care of yourselves, lead a healthy lifestyle – and then old age will be a joy! State Institution "Rassonsky RCGE", October 2024