The Portuguese pensioners and retirees organisation, APRe!, held its national conference “From Pandemic to Inclusion” in Lisbon on 27 October 2020. The objective of the event was to discuss and examine the situation of retired and older people in Portugal, at a time strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event also marked the eighth anniversary of APRe!
The conference includes two panels which discussed the way the pandemic has been addressed, stressing the fragile balance between the aspiration to protect ourselves and to “live our lives”. The speakers also looked at how older people are handled in contemporary societies and called for changing the way residential institutions for older people are conceived.
At the closing session, the President of the Board of APRe!, Maria do Rosário Gama insisted that although the pandemic has disturbed APRe!’s activity, the Association will continue to work hard to fullfil its role of building a space for debate and providing clarification on the rights of older persons. She also emphasised that vulnerability must not be a factor for discrimination against older people.
A more detailed report of the discussions is available in English here.
As the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing in Portugal and appeal to confinement is proportionally growing, the attendance format, complied with all sanitary regulations and a live transmission enabled members and many other interested people to follow the whole conference online.
The live recording of the event can be watched below:
