The years we have added to life

We have a greater life expectancy: in Europe, in the last century, our life has expanded around 30 years, so we have new challenges to face: How do we make ageing sustainable and reorganize societies and coexistence systems?

In the year 2050, two billion people will be 60 or older and 80% of them will live in middle or low income countries. This is “the great revolution of the 21^st century”, in the words of Isabel Martínez, president of HelpAge International Spain, when defining our society’s ageing.  A reflection on how to create a model for sustainable and global ageing is depicted in the photographic exhibition “Ageing in Africa, Latin America and Asia”, organized by HelpAge together with “la Caixa” Foundation and the Caja Navarra Foundation.

This travelling exhibition, which will be exhibited in Pamplona, Madrid, Murcia, Girona, Lleida and Olot, includes a series of photographs with scenes from the daily life of elderly people in countries such as Kenya, Burma, Colombia or Nepal.

“Actually, the first thing that surprises about the exhibition is seeing older people in these countries,” says Isabel Martínez in this Alma article.  We are used to focusing only on what we have near us as if what we can’t see didn’t exist, but growing old is a reality all around the world, the only difference is how it happens and under which conditions. Although as the president of HelpAge maintains, “The differences are not as many as we think”. “Really, when you watch the testimonials,” Isabel continues, “you realize that older people have the same expectations, needs and concerns everywhere.”

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