Today, October 1 is International Day of Older Persons – a day to celebrate the enormous contribution of older people to our family life, our neighbourhoods and our communities.
Positive Ageing Week (September 28 – October 2 2020 ), is an opportunity to show our appreciation to older people in our lives and to reach out to those who may be feeling lonely or isolated at this time of ongoing public health guidelines to limit our social contacts.
A number of agencies in Galway have come together to bring to light the many people of older age who epitomise healthy, positive ageing and are active in their families and communities.
Positive Ageing Week has seen a number of events and initiatives taking place across Galway city and county. For example, Galway Art Club members have created some beautiful – and some cheeky! – paintings in honour of Positive Ageing Week, which can still be viewed in the windows of Age Action (3, Francis Street, Galway ).
Those receiving meals from COPE Galway’s Community Catering received some surprise visitors and a goody bag and the Galway tourist train has put on some extra tours for some older people and their young buddies. Galway 2020 is bringing a number of pop-up musical performances to older people’s residential settings across Galway city and county today.
The Galway Advertiser has published some letters of thanks from children to their grandparents and older people who are significant to them in their lives. Follow the hashtag #PositiveAgeingGalway on social media for more information and to post your appreciation for an older person in your area who actively contributes to your local neighbourhood or community.
Popular TV presenter-turned-novelist, Richard Osman, has put the ethos of positive ageing succinctly in his new novel, The Thursday Murder Club: "We are obsessed with young people, but people in their 70s have identical brains to those in their 50s or their 30s. Our circumstances change and our physicality changes and we have a great deal more experience, but we’re still as mischievous and interested and sparky as we always were.”
While any day is a good day to thank people for what they do for others, Positive Ageing Week gives us a chance to remember the active older people in our communities who mean so much to us.
Agencies involved in Galway :COPE Galway, Galway Contact, Age Action, Westside Age Inclusion, Croi Na Gaillimh, St Vincent de Paul, Galway City Partnership, Community Guards, Galway Rural Development, Galway City and County Councils, Galway Age Friendly and many more
