AGE gains Swiss support in favour of EU directive on carer leave
The Swiss Council of older people, SSR-CSA, member of our European member organisation EURAG, has followed the example of AGE Spanish organisation CEOMA (read our previous article), in sending a letter to their national government to support the adoption of the European directive on carers’ leave. This initiative responds to AGE call for national support […]
CEOMA answers AGE call for national support on EU work-life balance directive
AGE has been pushing for a European directive on carers’ leave for the last couple of years, based on the experiences of our member organisations on the difficulties of being recognized as carers. In April 2017 the European Commission came forward with a proposal for a work-life balance directive which includes the right to five […]
AGE member networking on social isolation and loneliness
Building on AGE internal networking on loneliness and social isolation launched at the General Assembly 2017, interested AGE members from France, Czech Republic, Belgium, UK and Denmark and Portugal met on 23-24 January in Cassel, France, to pursue reflection. This networking meeting was hosted by our French member, les petits frères de Pauvres and aimed […]
Strike of professionals in French care homes: fighting for better working conditions for dignified care
Over January 2018 several strikes took place in care homes in France. On 30 January, care professionals at the EHPAD (établissements d’hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes), the most frequent type of care home in France, went on strike following the call of seven trade unions and with the support of the Association of directors at […]
ANBO warns against a too rapid increase in state pension age in the Netherlands
With an increase in state pension age scheduled from 65 to 66 in 2018 and to 67 in 2021, the Netherlands is in the lead in the European Union. However AGE’s Dutch member organisation ANBO warns against the social impacts of a too rapid increase in state pension age. People in heavy occupations do not […]
Enéo worries about government proposal for compensation of volunteers in Belgium
AGE Belgian association Enéo seized the momentum of the International Volunteer Day on 5th December to express disagreement with the recent decision of the Belgian government to allow volunteering activities to be remunerated up to a maximum of 6000 euros annually. Together with two other social non-for-profit organisations, Enéo warns against changing the basic nature […]
“Access to the Digital World” project improves the digital skills of older adults in Greece
With the cooperation of COSMOTE, AGE Greek member organisation 50plus Hellas contributes to the development of technological skills of older people with the program “Access to the Digital World“. Under the motto “Become digital”, the program has been running since 2012 and aims to promote lifelong learning and improve the quality of life of older […]
Age, digital divide and rural living: major criteria for social isolation in old age, reveals study by French organisation
Together with the CSA research institute, AGE’s French member organisation, les Petits Frères des pauvres, has carried out a survey on the older persons’ isolation in France. About 1,800 people aged over 60 were interviewed over the phone or face-to-face, including older persons who are detained, seriously ill or in collective centres, often excluded from […]
Belgian free hotline launched on International Older Persons’ Day
The Belgian AGE member organisation Enéo is part of the network ‘Donner de la Vie à l’Age’ (‘Bring life to age’), launched in Southern Belgium on 2nd October to mark the International Day of Older Persons. The network, which is made up of volunteers and run by and for older persons, offers assistance via a […]
International Day of Older Persons: Belgian organisations of older people and development NGO’s unite to call for action in less developed countries
In light of 1 October, the international day of older persons, organisations of older people and development NGO’s in Flanders launched a common call for action regarding the precarious situation of older people in third world countries. “Despite demographic ageing around the world, older people remain too often a blind spot in development policies”, they […]
BAGSO calls for age-friendly price labelling in German supermakets
AGE German member organisation, BAGSO, has joined discussions on standardization for price labelling in supermarkets in Germany initiated by the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) three years ago. Based on the outcome of a survey on price labelling carried out during the 11th German Senior Day in 2015, BAGSO points out that the reference price […]
Netherlands: ‘Build senior-friendly policies on local level’, call AGE members ahead of 2018 local elections
The AGE Dutch member organisation NVOG and its Dutch partner organisation KNVG, representing together 300,000 Dutch pensioners, have written an open letter to local political parties ahead of the 2018 local elections, to call for age-friendly local policies in their political programmes. This is triggered by the transfer of competencies from the national to local […]
Anziani e Non Solo partners in EU project to prevent burnout among care workers
AGE Italian member Anziani e Non Solo is involved in the European JOBIS project, which aims to develop a training tool to prevent burn out among care workers in five European countries: Romania, Lithuania, Poland, Italy and Cyprus. The tool is planned to be transferable to other target groups (doctors, civil servants, teachers, etc). Visit […]
Okra denounces negative impact of Belgian taxation reform on retirees
Although presented as a way to increase the purchasing power of the Belgian population, Okra explains why the “tax shift” proposed by the Belgian government will only benefit people with a relatively higher retirement income and those who have worked a full career (45 years), that is to say only 11% of retired people and […]
Grow well, not just old! – Conference on Ageing Well in Greece
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, Dr. Elizabeth Mestheneos took part last May in TEDx talks in Thessaloniki, Greece. TEDx – where x stands for ‘independently organized’ – is a program of local events that bring together people and experts from different areas of expertise, professional and life experience to spark deep discussion and […]
ATDAL 40+ celebrates 15th anniversary
ATDAL Over 40 is celebrating this year the 15th anniversary of the association and organised on that occasion the “Baby Boomers’ Festival” on 11th June in Rome, Italy. Movies, testimonies of success stories, comic sketches, a theatrical essay and a final rock concert were on the agenda of the event. The participation was based on […]
Spain approves eliminating mechanical restraints in residential care following CEOMA campaign
Good news in Spain! The Spanish Congressional Commission on Health and Social Services has approved the proposal of AGE’s Spanish member organisation CEOMA asking for the elimination of mechanical and chemical restraints in all geriatric centres and residences in a gradual but timely manner. This has been the result of a long lobby campaign showing […]
OVN NL co-signs letter to Dutch government for more inclusive policy
In the Netherlands, after the elections for the new Dutch Parliament held on 15th March, it took 8 weeks before a new government could be formed. The negotions are now blocked mainly because of the issue of migration. The parties VVD-Liberals, D66/Liberal Democrats, CDA-Christian Democrats and Groen Links/Green Left could not come to a conclusive […]
