Introduction to the United Nations Principles for Older Persons

Introduction:

In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons.  It provides a broad framework for governments to take action on ageing. The Principles are framed as 18 entitlements that older persons “should have.” They are organized into five themes relating to the status of the older person:  Independence; participation; care; self-fulfillment; and dignity.

This activity will allow the class to discuss and, using the Questions that follow, to create a report on the five themes of the UN Principles for Older Persons.  At the end of the class, give each student a copy of the UN Principles for Older Persons and allow some time for discussion on similarities and differences between the reports and Principles.
 

Objectives:

• to understand some of the values and needs of older persons;
• to think about programmes and policies that incorporate some of these values; and
• to learn about the UN Principles for Older Persons.

 Suggested time:  1 hour.

 Materials:

 Copy of the United Nations Principles for Older Persons to be given to each student at the end of the exercise. 

 Evaluation based on:

• ability to understand the issues facing older persons;
• creativity and clarity of response; and
• presentation to class.

Set up:

Divide the class into 5 groups and assign each group one of the following themes from the UN Principles for Older Persons:

1. Independence
2. Participation
3. Care
4. Self-fulfillment
5. Dignity

Each group will then produce a short report on their theme for class presentation using the following Questions:

Questions:

1. What is this theme about?
2. Why is this theme something an older person should have?
3. What are some of the ways the Canadian/provincial government could incorporate this theme into government programmes/policies?
4. Are there any non-governmental means to guarantee this theme is respected?
5. What could happen if this theme is ignored?

Following the reports, hand out copies of the UN Principles for Older Persons and have a short discussion comparing the reports to the Principles.

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