For Pope Francis, one of the social groups most affected by the 'throwaway cultureâ? are the elderly.
POPE FRANCIS
'A people that does not care for its grandparents, that does not treat them well, are people that have no future!â?
The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, the population of those over 60 years old will reach 22%. Sanitary improvements lead to a better life expectancy, but that does not mean that the elderly are living in better conditions.
FABIAN ROMANO
Federation of Catholic Medical Associations of Latin America
'We must incorporate our grandparents into the family and stimulate them so they can continue to feel part of it. If they are hard of hearing, we must speak slower and louder, looking at them directly, and that way we incorporate them. Because they cannot hear, sometimes they are left out of the conversation and so the elderly person feels diminished and discriminated against.â?
Fabian Romano knows how worrying this is for the Pope because they met in Argentina when Pope Francis was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
FABIAN ROMANO
Federation of Catholic Medical Associations of Latin America
'Pope Francis wants us to to be closer to others. We need to perceive how the sick and the elderly want to be accompanied during these moments of their lifeâ?.
Fabian Romano says the future brings important health and human challenges for elderly people. He believes the most important one is showing grandparents and elderly people what their role is within society.
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