Title: Speaking out for the aging population: Julia Tavares de Alvarez.

POPLINE Document Number: 129063

Author(s):

Tanne JH

Source citation:

BMJ (CLINICAL RESEARCH ED.), 1997 Oct 25;315(7115):1038.

Abstract:

71-year-old Julia Tavares de Alvarez, the Dominican Republic's ambassador to the United Nations, is enthusiastic, intelligent, persistent, and vocal. Long interested in geriatrics and the general concerns of the elderly, Alvarez has become a champion of the rights of older people and an avid campaigner against age discrimination. According to the charter of the United Nations (UN), there is no age at which UN employees must retire from service. However, except for the senior political posts, the UN's mandatory retirement age has been pegged at either 60 or 62 years. Furthermore, Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, recently expressed his desire to lower the average age of the UN work force from its current level of 49 years. Ambassador Alvarez challenges both Annan's position and the mandatory retirement age. She would like to see a reaffirmation of the Declaration of Human Rights which condemns age discrimination and recognizes the interdependence of people of all ages. Personally promoting such interdependence, Ambassador Alvarez and her husband established the Center on Aging in the Dominican Republic, donating their home to the cause. The center hired retired teachers living in poverty and trained them to teach basic skills such as hand washing and teeth brushing to preschool children. Children in the program were given breakfast and offered some basic medical care, such as oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea. Participation in the center's program has grown from 12 teachers and 200 children to the current level of 1000 children. In addition to the preschool program, a $10,000 grant to the center funds a revolving loan fund which lends small amounts to help older people start small businesses.

Keywords:

Dominican Republic
Global
UN
Demographic Aging
Older Adults
Older Adults, 80 and Over
Community
Human Rights
Needs
Developing Countries
Caribbean
Americas
International Agencies
Organizations
Population Dynamics
Demographic Factors
Population
Adults
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Residence Characteristics
Population Distribution
Geographic Factors
Economic Factors