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"My Future – Who Cares? An Inclusive Society for Older People"


09/10/2024

On October 4th, a conference was held at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce under the title "My Future – Who Cares? An Inclusive Society for Older People," dedicated to innovations in the field of elderly care, promoting healthy aging, digital literacy, as well as achievements and challenges faced by older people and their caregivers. The conference was jointly organized by the Office of the Social Affairs Attaché of the Republic of Austria in the Republic of Serbia, the United Nations Population Fund in Serbia, the Red Cross of Serbia, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality, and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

The goal of the conference was to draw attention to demographic changes as an important issue to which we must adapt our public policies, services, and begin to make greater use of modern technologies to improve the quality of care.

At the opening of the conference, speakers included Mihajlo Vesović from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Đorđe Todorov, State Secretary from the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, His Excellency Christian Ebner, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria, Andreas Schaller from the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Austria, UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia Matilde Mordt, President of the Red Cross of Serbia Dr. Dragan Radovanović, and Brankica Janković, Commissioner for Protection of Equality.

"Population aging is certainly the main global trend that is changing societies worldwide. The life expectancy at birth now exceeds 75 years in half of the countries in the world, which is 25 years longer than in 1950. If we convert that into expected lifespan, it was 50 years in 1950, so this is a great achievement of science and prevention, but also a challenge we must adapt to," said Dr. Dragan Radovanović.

Within the conference, three panels were organized. In the first panel, titled "Aging in the Digital Age: Rights, Opportunities, and Responsibility," Nataša Todorović from the Red Cross of Serbia participated.

Nataša Todorović spoke about ageism, which can be an obstacle to adopting and using digital technologies. Stereotypes and prejudices about the ability and willingness of older people to use digital technologies are widespread, often ignoring their diversity in skills and experiences. Depictions of older people as technophobes, incompetent, or uninterested in technological progress are pervasive and widely accepted in cartoons, media, birthday cards, advertisements, and everyday social interactions. Throughout their lives, older people can adopt negative narratives about the "older technology user" and internalize stereotypes associated with aging.

During the conference, part of the play “Awakened: 11/2 Older Women” by the Artičoka Association, directed by Branka B. Bajić, was presented. This project gathers older women from Novi Sad who, after a six-month drama process, talk about aging and the prejudices they face.