We must change course if every person is to live a decent life in old age. And we must change course if the huge potential for older people to contribute to society is to be realised for the benefit of all of us.

But for change to happen, pressure is needed. And this is what Age Demands Action is trying to do for the older generation of today and those of the future.

What's happening?

Delegations of older people will unite around the world on 1 October, UN International Day of Older People, and push for better treatment from their governments.

HelpAge global network partners will be working with older people's monitoring groups who have first hand experience of what needs to change. Together, they will organise meetings with decision makers at all levels of government from Presidents, First Ladies and Prime Ministers to camp officials in Darfur and local councillors in Manila.

During these meetings the real voice of older people will be heard and specific action will be called for from leaders the world over.

Awareness raising events will also be held around 1 October such as marches, rallies and exhibitions, to show to the rest of society that older people are still here and must have equal rights in society.

But what's the problem?

Too often older people are ignored or excluded because they are seen as a burden on society.

Not only is this wrong in principle, but this discrimination also ignores the fact that older people make huge contributions – through working, caring and sharing their experience.

If we continue on this path, the issues that older people face today will be multiplied in years to come, as the world is ageing fast.

By 2050, it is expected that there will be more people in the world over 60 than under 14. Of these, 80% will be living in developing countries.*

For an example of this fundamental change to our world, see these charts from China which show the difference in the number of people in each age group between 1950 and 2050.

With an ever-increasing portion of the world's population getting older, the time to act is now. If we do not start including older people more in social policies and responses to poverty, more and more people will be pushed to the margins as they age, leaving the world literally a poorer place for it.

Age helps

But this need not be all doom and gloom. If the actual and potential contribution of older people is recognised and older people are properly supported, then the benefits will be felt far and wide.

Here are three examples of how older people are making a real difference today:

• UNICEF has estimated that over 40% of the children orphaned by HIV and AIDS in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Namibia are cared for by their grandparents.**
• In rural Brazil, households that contain a pensioner receiving an income are more likey to send girls to school.***
• And in South Africa, girls living in a household with an older women receiving a pension are typically 3-4 cms taller than households with no pension income.****

If older people everywhere are supported properly then their knowledge, abilities and contributions can be felt throughout the rest of society, therefore shaping a better world for all of us. In this way global ageing is an opportunity for everyone.

So what's being called for?

National calls for action will be made which are relevant to the needs of older people in that country. But these will also be pulled together at the global level under one call for a UN Convention on the rights of older people which will help ensure governments protect the human rights of older people.

At the national level, and the world over, the call for older people to receive the same rights as everyone else will be signalled by activists raising their index finger.

This shows support for Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: ALL people are born free and equal in dignity and rights. We don't believe this right changes as you get older. If you agree, take a picture of yourself and add it to our photo gallery!

Impact on the frontline

And the results from previous years have been impressive. The lobbying of Age Demands Action delegations have contributed to:

• increasing the state pension in Nepal
• The Kenyan government investing 200million shillings in launching a pension
• More pensions in Indonesia
• An older people's centre in Bangladesh being promised

For views of ADA from the frontline, see these two interviews with campaign coordinators from the Philippines and South Africa. And for a run down of what Age Demands Action achieved in 2008 see the video below.