This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Launch of older people's booklet
03/12/2002
A booklet which aims to highlight the breadth of support
and opportunities available to Scotland's 1.7m over 50s was
launched today.
The booklet includes a range of information from where
to find the nearest Internet access point to taking up
volunteering or lifelong learning opportunities.
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"The new Scotland we want to build is a country where
every person, regardless of age is valued as an individual
and encouraged to make a continuing contribution to their
local community and wider society. That is why we want to
ensure there are practical measures in place to enable all
Scots - including our 1.7m over 50s - to live as full and
active life as possible.
"The booklet we are launching today is an important part
of that process. As well as providing invaluable advice on
a range of help and support services, it will also help
challenge the myth that our older people are housebound or
living out their days in a home. While it is important that
people who require that care get it, we need to remember
that the vast majority of people in their 70s and even 80s
remain fit and well, and want to continue being involved in
their communities, being active, and getting the most out
of life.
"Many older people are the backbone of families and
local areas, giving their experience and knowledge and time
in many ways - as carers, volunteers, community activists,
parents and grandparents. Many also have an excellent
record in business start-ups, often outdoing their younger
competitors. We need to celebrate those achievements and
offer encouragement and support to other older people who
wish to take up such opportunities.
"I hope that the booklet I am launching today gives a
flavour of some of these opportunities and helps
demonstrate that older people are very capable of doing
things for themselves - they have, after all, had a
lifetime's practice. And through Government policies - such
as free off peak local bus travel, our central heating
programme, our digital inclusion strategy and free personal
care, help remove the obstacles which may stand in their
way and that we add life to years, not just years to
life."
John Wilson, President of the Scottish Pensions
Association, today welcomed the launch of the booklet:
"Anything which highlights what opportunities are
available to older people to help them enjoy later life is
appreciated. I particularly like the clear and readable
format and it is a welcome addition to information that is
available for older people."
Phyllis Herriot, Chair of the Scottish Pensioners' Forum
said
"Older People in Scotland must welcome the initiatives
brought forward by the Scottish Executive to meet their
needs and aspirations. We look on many of these as steps on
the ladder of achieving our full aims and we hope to
continue to work in partnership with the Executive to
achieve these aims.
"We welcome the attention the booklet pays to leisure
opportunities, the emphasis on lifelong learning which
recognises our potential and also acknowledgement of the
important role that older people, who are mainly the
volunteers and carers, play in our society."
For a copy of the booklet freephone 0800 783 4183. The
booklet will also be available from post offices and
libraries and in large print, Braille, audio tape, Gaelic,
Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Gudjhurati, Arabic and
Cantonese.
Poster
Booklet
Agenda - Newsletter for Older People -Autumn /
Winter 2002