UNITED NATIONS (UMNS) As the United Nations International Year of Older Persons comes to a close, some attitudes about aging are beginning to change.

"Increasingly, we do not see aging as a problem," explained Nitin Desai, U.N. under- secretary-general for economic and social affairs. "We see aging as an achievement."

Desai was the keynote speaker for the ninth annual International Day of Older Persons on Sept. 30.

United Methodists are among those who have been involved in events and activities commemorating the year. Participation remains open for an Oct. 16 satellite teleconference, "A Society for All Ages," being produced by the United Methodist Teleconference Connection and Global Action on Aging.

As of the end of September, 111 downlink sites had been registered for the teleconference. More information on current site locations or setting up a site is available by calling (212) 870- 3802 or visiting www.umcom.org/umtc/aging on the World Wide Web.

The international year has helped bring recognition that old age is not an affliction or a disease but a fact of life, according to Desai. The aging of populations a "longevity revolution" is happening not just in the developed world but also in developing countries, "where the underlying economic basis is much weaker." By 2050, older adults will outnumber children on a global basis for the first time, with the largest group being in Asia. Adjustments in societal thinking are needed to adapt to the world's aging population, according to Desai. Those include:

• Promoting "active aging" by designing transportation, housing and other systems in more accessible ways;

• Changing educational systems to recognize that learning is a lifelong experience; and

• Thinking of employment in terms of ability to work rather than restrictions imposed by retirement.

"Older people provide an enormous amount of unpaid work," Desai noted. "I'm arguing that in many cases, it should be paid work."

The greatest challenge, he said, is changing certain conceptions that all cultures have about old age. By using the theme "A Society for All Ages," he added, the International Year of Older Persons promotes "a society in which every person feels they have something to give and something to get."

October 1, 1999

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, New York, and Washington.