Remarks by President McAleese on Welcoming Organisations representing Older People
Remarks by President McAleese on Welcoming Organisations representing Older People to Aras an Uachtarain
One of the wonderful things about being President, is that you get the opportunity to welcome such a wide range of people into your home – people with very different backgrounds and interests, but each with very special gifts, and each with something wonderful to contribute to Irish life.
- I am especially honoured and delighted to welcome all of you here today, at the start of the International Year of Older Persons. It is particularly appropriate that 1999 should have been chosen to celebrate older people, because it represents not just the ending of one era, but the approach of another. In some ways, it mirrors our own life-cycles as we pass from one stage to the next. The key thing is not the transition itself, but how we, and those around us, view it. The closing of one stage in our lives is also the start of another, with new challenges and fresh opportunities.
- Sometimes, though, we need encouragement to see that. It is unfortunately true that our culture views ageing with some degree of suspicion, even fear. In the past, age was often associated with sickness and infirmity. Yet advances in health care means that that need no longer be the case. The “three score and ten” forecast in the bible is no longer true for most of us – there are often many years of health and activity to look forward to past the age of seventy, even eighty.
- The negativity in our society is sometimes, unfortunately, internalised by older people themselves. The campaign to show the positive aspects of age, must therefore take place on two fronts – in society as a whole and among older people, by giving them back the self-belief and confidence in their own abilities and their capacity to lead a full and fulfilling life. Most of all, it is essential that older people regain the confidence to speak with their own voice, that they defeat once and for all the “does she take sugar?” syndrome and assert their right to participate fully in all aspects of society.
- This special year of focus on Older People provides a wonderful opportunity to bring home this message within the wider society and among older people themselves. In part, this is about debunking myths and highlighting the reality that exists out there – that older people are fully capable of learning new skills and taking on new ideas; that most are healthy and active and have an enormous amount to contribute to our society, that they have earned respect and space for their voices and endeavours in hard times and the hard way; that by 2011, almost one in seven Irish people will be over the age of sixty-five. This vital and active sector of our society cannot be ignored. They carry special burdens, the loss and loneliness of losing partners, the drift away of family, the move from busy working lives to retirement. They have to navigate these hugh changes in life and bring hope to the rest of us that these things are doable, manageable and bring there own joys and hopes. At the very least they are entitled to the promise of thanks, respect, quality care if needed, space to continue to contribute, to help in skilling our young people, reminding us of the values that matter, showing us the courage of the human person – telling their stories of coping, living, surviving, succeeding, failing, learning, unlearning and learning anew.
- You are at the vanguard of this process. Through your activities and the network of support that you offer to older people in your groups, you are a shining example of what can be done. I hope that all of you will greatly enjoy your visit here and I wish you the very best of success in all your future activities.