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CWRU's Terry Hokenstad is the only American appointed to an international committee that will assist the secretary-general of the United Nations in preparing for the second World Assembly on Ageing slated for April 2002 in Spain.
Hokenstad is the Ralph S. and Dorothy P. Schmitt Professor at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. He and the other 14 committee members -- all experts on aging -- are having their first meeting June 13-16 in Frankfurt, Germany. Their mission is to review the International Plan of Action on Ageing, which the First World Assembly on Ageing adopted in Vienna in 1982, and to advise the U.N. secretary-general regarding the need for revisions.
The Plan of Action-the first such international document on aging-aimed to strengthen the capacity of governments and civil society to effectively address the issues of aging. Its 62 recommendations focus on areas of health, nutrition, protection of elderly consumers, housing and environment, family, social welfare, income security and employment, and education.
The newly named Technical Committee for the Second World Assembly on Ageing will pay particular attention to developing countries as it reviews the Plan of Action. Since the plan was adopted in 1982, the numbers of older persons in developing countries has grown dramatically-a trend that is expected to continue.
"Today, more than half of the people over 60 worldwide live in developing countries," Hokenstad notes. While the elderly in developing nations have traditionally relied upon the extended family for support, demand is growing for more organized supportive services by governmental and nonprofit agencies, Hokenstad explains.
The Technical Committee will also focus on the theme of active aging adopted for the U.N.'s 1999 International Year of Older Persons. "As society changes, older people want the opportunity to contribute as productive members of society," says Hokenstad, who served as co-chair of the U.S. Committee for the Celebration of the International Year of Older Persons. "This plan is not going to focus simply on what is needed for older people, but also on why older people are needed."
In addition to reviewing the 1982 Plan of Action, the committee will consider the development of a Long-Term Strategy on Ageing. "While the Long-Term Strategy will be a general policy statement to take 'an ageing society' into the 21st century, the Plan of Action will explore sustainable solutions and measures to translate general policy into concrete actions on ageing," according to a U.N. background report.
In addition to Hokenstad, the technical committee is comprised of experts on aging from India, Vietnam, Lebanon, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Equador, Uruguay, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Hokenstad has published extensively in the fields of comparative social welfare, care of the elderly, and social work practice and education.
He recently directed a three-year-project, funded by the Open Society Institute, to help 18 Central and Eastern European nations develop home- and community-based services that will enable the frail elderly to remain in their homes rather than become institutionalized. He also has conducted international studies of health care and social services for older persons.
A member of the U.N.'s Non-Governmental Organization Committee on Aging since the early 1990s, Hokenstad will work at the U.N. on issues of aging during his upcoming sabbatical, which begins in January.
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