It’s time for Langley to show its appreciation for the contributions that older people make to their society.
And to help acknowledge their efforts, members of the Langley Seniors Community Action Table are once again raising a flag outside the Langley Township Civic Facility on 65th Avenue on Monday, Oct. 2, at 1:45 p.m.
This marks both the United Nations International Day of the Older Person and National Seniors Day, said one of the organizers, Sylvia Anderson, an 81-year-old Langley City resident who’s been a member of the seniors action table for close to a dozen years.
The flag raising, she added, “recognizes senior citizens. They’ve put a lot of their time and life into this community, and the country too, and that should be recognized,” Anderson insisted.
“And they, too, should be proud of what they’ve done.”
The UN actually celebrates International Day of the Older Person on Oct. 1, but the local event was shifted to Monday to better accommodate people’s schedules, Anderson explained.
The UN first declared the older persons day in 1991, and Canada started recognizing Oct. 1 as National Seniors Day in 2010.
And this year’s day is about “enabling and expanding the contributions of older people in their families, communities, and society. It focuses on the pathways that support full and effective participation in old age, in accordance with old persons’ basic rights, needs, and preferences.”
Bottom line, Anderson said, “older persons should be treated fairly regardless of age, gender, racial, or ethnic backgrounds, disability or other status,and be valued independently of their economic contribution.”
Monday’s flag-raising, Anderson said, will honour all of Langley’s seniors and all of their hard work.
Action table meets monthly
LSCAT meetings monthly and are engaging more and more seniors all the time, but still not enough for Anderson.
She said the all-candidates meetings are their largest attended function, thus far.
“We do have a voice out there… but we need some more white hair in the room. It’s their lives and it affects them… They should be educated as to what’s available to them.”
The next LSCAT event on Wednesday, Oct. 18 is a 90-minute presentation about seniors financial abuse prevention, at the Douglas Park Recreation Centre, starting at 10 a.m.
It’s free, “just drop in,” she said, tempting guest with refreshments.