On the eve of the International Day of Older Persons, the Nagaland governor, PB Acharya, has stressed the need to have more libraries, health care centres, parks, etc. for the older people and also proper respect for older people. In his message on International Day of Older Persons, Acharya said the day was marked as an opportunity to highlight and appreciate the important contributions by elderly to society and raise awareness of the issues and challenges of ageing in today’s world.
Emphasising on this year’s theme “Take a Stand Against Ageism”, the governor said, “let us all challenges our self to consider ageism – the negative attitudes and discrimination based on age and the detrimental impact it has on older people.”
He said both young and old play an important role in the society as well as in family life, adding that they were the asset of the society and should be taken care of properly.
The governor said elders have been working for years together so they have vast wealth of knowledge, skills and experiences. He said they have lived through situations others cannot even imagine, and yet “we dismiss these lifetimes of experiences when they begin to need love, care and support.”
He called for rededicating “our self” to the pressing demands of the young and the elderly by creating public awareness through promotional material in schools, institutions, offices and public places. “Let us make an environment which is user friendly for the elderly persons in public places, public transportations, hospitals, banks etc,” Acharya said.
Further, the governor said the older persons’ rich experience and service should be a big capital for any society.
On the International Day of Older Persons, the governor joined by his wife wished all the elderly persons throughout the state a very healthy and peaceful life.