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PRESS RELEASE  Brussels, 28 June 2010

Conference on Mental health and well-being among older people – Making it happen, 28-29 June 2010

AGE calls for comprehensive approach of mental health among older people

“To address the challenge of mental health among older people, you need to look beyond the medical aspect”, underlined Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Platform Europe Director. “For example, the isolation and social exclusion faced by an increasing number of older people should be more carefully considered and tackled.” She adds that “of course the issue of care is very important as well and AGE is very concerned about the dependency of older people and the risk of elder abuse and the quality of care”.

Since 2005 AGE Platform Europe has been actively involved in the reflection process launched by the European Commission on mental health. Now AGE hopes that its participation in the Conference organised by the Spanish Presidency in Madrid on 28-29 June will help bring forward some of its key messages and calls for:

-         adopting a holistic and coordinated approach,

-         promoting inter- and intra generational solidarity for a more cohesive society,

-         considering older people as a resource,

-         prioritising health promotion and address health inequalities,

-         supporting the introduction of European mandatory quality standards for long term care services,

-         providing adequate support for carers, including informal carers,

-         supporting research on old age mental health disorders and dementia cause.

AGE recommendations are gathered in a position paper issued by AGE prior to the conference and which is available at: http://www.age-platform.eu/en/age-policy-work/health/age-position-statements/995-age-platform-europe-welcomes-the-conference-on-mental-health-and-well-being-in-older-people

For more information on AGE Platform Europe work on health issues: http://www.age-platform.eu/en/age-policy-work/health

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Link to the press release in pdf version

Communiqué de presse en français