Viet Nam Human Rights
Speaking at a session of the Vietnam National Committee for Elderly in Hanoi on January 2, he said over the past time, old people have actively participated in social movements to help boost production and improve living conditions.
“The role of the elderly has been particularly shown in learning promotion activities and we need to continue upholding this role if we want to build a ‘learning society’ in which the old people will not only encourage younger generations to study but also join themselves in learning activities,” he stressed.
Regarding tasks to take care of the elderly, the Deputy PM said localities should strive to have all old people holding health insurance cards and work to improve health care services for them, he said.They should play a greater role in cultural life, leading civilized lifestyles and in Party building activities in their localities, he noted.
Apart from health care activities, attention should also be paid to programs to entertain the elderly, he added.
Participants at the meeting discussed shortcomings hindering efforts to take care of the elderly such as low awareness of authorities in some localities about their responsibilities relating to the elderly, poor implementation of tasks related to old people, and a lack of mechanisms and policies encouraging the private sector to invest in establishments taking care of the elderly.
Financial shortages and a lack of land for health care services and cultural and sport activities for the elderly also remain challenges, they noted.
Deputy PM Dam asked ministries, agencies and localities to establish funds to take care of the elderly and promote their role in society.
They were also asked to review tasks relating to elderly people within their jurisdiction to ensure the tasks are fulfilled effectively.
Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said supervision and inspection should be strengthened to ensure the effectiveness of activities for elderly people.
The ministry is compiling a draft law on social activities which considers the establishment of the model of the social security fund to help tackle financial shortages for social activities at localities, according to Dung. The fund will target the elderly, children and the poor.
As of 2018, Vietnam has more than 11.3 million elderly people, accounting for nearly 12 percent of the country’s total population. Of the figure, nearly 2 million are more than 80 years old.
As many as 3.1 million elderly people get retirement pension and social insurance allowance, while some 1.6 million others get monthly social allowance and more than 10.8 million old people hold health insurance cards.
All comments [ 6 ]
Older people have different expectations these days, and that will continue to change. What might have been good enough for previous generations will not cut it in the future, and what we have is not sustainable anyway.
I think broadly the things people worry about are the same throughout life – finances, wellbeing, loneliness etc – but as people get older their feeling of being able to control these things changes.
Intergenerational work is a great way to break down barriers between groups of people. For young people to appreciate the experiences and skills of older people and vice versa so that we foster greater understanding between groups of people.
I think that older age is still seen as a shorthand for ill-health, inactivity and decline and therefore that stereotype can prevail.
There is also an unhelpful stereotype of older people as being anti-youth. There is such brilliant diversity in older age now – you really can’t generalise about a group who may range from 50 to 100+.
Older people contribute on a macro level to the workplace and financially and at a local level to their communities and individual networks in terms of experience. They have also contributed for many decades which is something which is often forgotten.
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