Call to love, respect elders

RECOGNISING their rights and giving them love and respect is what the elderly deserve, says Community Development, Youth and Religion department secretary Anna Solomon.
Solomon said that when acknowledging International Day of Older Persons yesterday.
With the theme “Journey to age equality”, Solomon said Papua New Guineans needed to appreciate, respect and treasure the country’s older citizens.
She said they were repositories of information, experience and wisdom which needed to be passed on to benefit communities and society.
“Commemorating the day is about telling the whole country the importance of elderly persons and also telling the country to respect them for what they have done in our families and communities,” she said.
“Good parenting shapes who we are today, therefore, the department, through the elderly section ,was instructed to come up with a policy that will protect and recognise their rights.”
Solomon said the elderly section was established three years ago.
She called on communities, departments, groups and businesses to take an elderly inclusive approach and to treat age equality and discrimination as a real issue.
Solomon said International Day of Older Persons was a chance to discuss issues and concerns affecting the elderly population.
She said the day also allowed for State authorities, elderly persons’ organisations and stakeholders to celebrate their achievements and create awareness and advocate on many other issues and challenges faced by the aging population.
Meanwhile, Newton Masive, 58, from Eastern Highlands, who is a person with a disability, works as the executive assistant for disability section in the department, commended Solomon for advocating for the elderly inclusive approach and recognising their importance.