Lindiwe Zulu to kickstart programme for elderly

Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu will officially kickstart the 2019 Active Ageing Programme at the Nelson Mandela University Indoor Sports Centre on Monday.

The Active Ageing Programme — to take place between October 21 and 25 —  was introduced by the department of social development in partnership with the South African Older People Forum (SAOPF) to uphold the human rights of older people and respond to their developmental needs.

Department spokesperson Lumka Oliphant said the programme’s goal was to improve the quality of life of older people by, among other things, promoting independence and participation in various social, cultural and sporting initiatives that seek to prevent and reduce old-age related diseases.

“This is part of the department’s effort to build a caring society that promotes and protects the human rights of people of all ages,” Oliphant said.

“Data from the World Health Organisation shows that the proportion and number of older people [60 and over] are increasing worldwide, and in SA this is corroborated by data from Stats SA, which shows that the population of older people significantly increased from 2.8-million in 1996 and 4.1-million in 2011 to 4.8-million in 2018.”

She said the department of social development provided financial support to a number of NGOs which rendered care and support services to older people, with a particular focus on family and community-based services.

Of this number, almost three-million received income support in the form of the Old Age Grant, which has significantly reduced extreme poverty among older people.

“The Active Ageing Programme seeks to contribute to SA’s national efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030), which calls for leaving no-one behind, with a particular focus on older people.

“The increasing number of older people can be attributed to improved life expectancy and longevity,” she said.

She said the programme would bring together older people across all nine provinces and afford them an opportunity to interact and build friendships with their peers.

During the week-long programme, older people will receive free health screenings and also learn about age-related health issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

As part of promoting a healthy and active lifestyle among older people, the department of social development has partnered with the Virgin Active Health Club in Port Elizabeth.

During the course of the Active Ageing Programme, a group of older people will join Zulu in a 30-minute light aerobic exercise routine which will be conducted by a fitness instructor from Virgin Active.