Purposes and tasks

Age Forum is an independent council set up by the Danish Ministry of Social Affairs in 1996 with the purpose to monitor and assess the conditions of older people in Denmark on all relevant fronts.

Older persons are often perceived as a uniform and weak group in need of public assistance. Old people may, however, be just as different from one another, as other social groups, and the fact that especially the weak are visible in the media contributes to creating a misleading picture of the old and of ageing. Age Forum is to work for a varied and precise picture of the old generation and of getting old. The Council is to help identify older people´s resources and provide a fuller picture of older people and ageing.

Furthermore Age Forum is to give inspiration to the present and coming generation of old people with a view to planning their old age. This may be done by focusing on the possibilities that exist to organise life individually and to participate in social life.

Age Forum is to see to it that public authorities, organizations, etc. become more attentive to the very big discrepancies among the old generation as regards health, needs, etc. when legislation and services for the old are being planned.

Age Forum should:

• follow the development in the field of ageing, e.g. the trends in old people's needs in relation to the labour market, housing, leisure, culture, traffic and health, the social field and other relevant areas,
  
  
• evaluate aggregate efforts for old people carried out by public authorities, private bodies, voluntary organisations and the old themselves,
  
  
• contribute by gathering the experience gained in the field of old people, by the local Senior Citizens' Councils among others
  
  
• contribute to making the resources of the old more visible and point to possible barriers that prevent old people from making use of own resources,
  
  
• contribute to the coordination and dissemination of information on the conditions of the old and their rights,
  
  
• propose initiatives that improve the conditions for the old, as for example coordinating and preventive activities.

Publications
AgeForum regularly issues a number of publications containing information, inspiration and food for debate on older life, initiates research and organises conferences, etc.

The Council involves researchers, administrators, professionals and organisations as well as municipalities and senior citizens' councils in its work. The Council's members participate in conferences and meetings, debating or providing input on the conditions of older people.

Annual reports are available in English and can be downloaded from this homepage. AgeForum has also published a report on Older people and preventive home visits. Read more: click on "Other reports" and "Annual Reports".

10.07.07