Monthly Archives: June 2014

AGE Platform Europe: Towards an Age-Friendly European Parliament

AGE PlatformEurope’s vision is that of a society for all ages, free from age discrimination and stereotypes and based on solidarity and cooperation between generations, where everyone is empowered to play an active part in the community and enjoy equal rights and opportunities in all stages of life.

We believe that achieving a society for all ages will require decision-makers and all relevant stakeholders to take collective responsibility for designing new ways of organising our societies to ensure a fairer and more sustainable future for all generations and to tackle the ongoing economic and social crisis. AGE has therefore launched a campaign for the European elections 2014, calling on the candidate MEPs to create an Age-Friendly European Union through ensuring that EU policies and initiatives will:

  1. Promote equal opportunities and the realisation of human rights for all
  2. Guarantee the adequacy, fairness and sustainability of Europe’s social and health protection systems
  3. Ensure universal access to goods and services, in particular to the built environment, ICT, mobility and public services
  4. Support the right to grow and age in good mental and physical health
  5. Create age-friendly labour markets and economy
  6. Involve older persons in all policy and research processes that concern them
  7. Protect the right for all to live and die in dignity

Older persons are often patients and/or carers themselves and expect the European Union to do its upmost to improve their quality of life. They can thus easily echo EPF priorities for a healthier Europe and share their calls for action for the upcoming 5 years.

AGE is a strong advocate for non-discrimination, repeatedly defending the realisation of human rights for all. In this frame, we are supporting the provision of available, affordable and quality healthcare for all, so is doing EPF. Rights of vulnerable groups, such as frail elderly, must be protected if we want to protect the right for all to live and die in dignity.

Moreover, EPF’s call to involve patients in every policy and research process that concern them is clearly in line with AGE 6th priority. Nothing about us can be decided without us, it’s a shared motto. In particular, AGE is calling on the newly-elected MEPs to annually meet with civil society organisations to collect their views and report back on their own actions. Constructive dialogue and informed policy-making process must be at the heart of EU policy developments.

Patients’ empowerment is also a rising priority within AGE network. With the expected increase in healthcare needs which goes along with the ageing of the population, we believe patients have a crucial role to play in managing their health condition. This is a great challenge for us as health literacy is very often insufficient among older persons; this is the reason why we are actively involved in the EU-funded research project “IROHLA”, which aims at identifying and piloting interventions addressing health literacy needs among the ageing population.

These priorities fit in AGE overarching campaign Towards an Age-friendly European Union. Older persons and patients deserve supportive environments which meet their needs and expectations and offer them equal opportunities in all areas of life. This must be and remain a key priority for the next European Parliament and Commission.

For more information on AGE campaign for the European elections, visit AGE campaign blog or contact Ophélie Durand.