How old is older?

Saturday 1 October is International Day of Older Persons, but how long do people in different countries actually live to (on average)? How old is older?

The UFPA diabetes program is
changing lives in the Kimberley
with the help of Caritas Australia. 

In Australia there are over 517,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; making up 2.5% of the total Australian population. Together we share a common humanity. We are all created equally but our opportunities in life and our levels of disadvantage vary greatly.

According to United Nations estimates for 2005-10, Australia's life expectancy at birth is ranked among the highest in the world*. However, a huge gap exists between the life expectancy and health of those who are Indigenous and those who are not.

The average life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and females is 59 and 65 years respectively; 17 years less than non-Indigenous people. In fact, their life expectancy rate is alarmingly similar to those in a number of developing countries: 

Country			Expectancy (in years)
Sub-Saharan Africa**			46
Indigenous Australia			62
Nepal			66
Thailand			69
Philippines			72
Peru			73
Vietnam			74

So we have to stop and ask, why. There are a number of reasons, however the major factors are: dispossession; dislocation; discrimination; poor and overcrowded housing; poor diet and nutrition; unemployment (three times the rate of non-Indigenous people); limited access to health care services; low income and lack of education.

Did you know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders earn just 62% of the income of non-Indigenous people? And in 2006, 21% of 15-year-old Indigenous people were not participating in school education? 

How is Caritas Australia assisting?
Caritas Australia commits to work alongside the world’s most vulnerable communities. In communities across Asia, Latin America and Australia, this commitment translates to long-term development programs which respect, protect, and enhance Indigenous rights and culture.

Throughout these communities, Caritas works to create sustainable, culturally appropriate, and community-owned opportunities for education, healthcare, food and water security, and income generation. We also support communities to access and assert their unique rights as Indigenous peoples.

Caritas Australia’s Australian Indigenous Program (AIP) focuses on Indigenous-controlled, community development projects with an emphasis on longer-term relationships.

Since 2004, Caritas Australia has supported Unity of First People of Australia (UFPA) to implement a community-owned and managed health program within seven remote communities of the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Diabetes is a major problem
Results from the Lombadina/Djarindjin Health Assessment (13-15 September 2010), which involved 56 adults and 70 children, indicates a lower range of detection of new patients with diabetes than seen in several previous UFPA surveys in other Kimberley communities. None of the ages below 18 years were found to have diabetes. UFPA provided these statistics:

• Diabetes has doubled since 1980. In Australia the rate of diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is 3 times higher than non-Indigenous people.
• Hospital rates from diabetes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (compared to non-Indigenous people) are twice as high for type 1 diabetes, 115 times higher in type 2 diabetes.
• There are 65 amputations per week Australia-wide. Nearly all (98%) amputations in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are associated with diabetes (WA).

Please Australian Government, Keep your Promise
In 2007, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd promised to close the 17-year life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous Australians by 2030. He promised that Indigenous people will get health services equal to those of the rest of the population within 10 years. Now we need to ensure that the government keeps its promise.

More information about Caritas Australia’s work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

For more information on Indigenous health, head to Australian Indigenous HealthinfoNet at www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au.

More information on the International Day of Older Persons.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprise
2.5% of the population. 43% live in regional
areas and 32% live in cities.

* www.abs.gov.au
** In 2006, the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) revealed that life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa is lower than 30 years ago, mainly because of HIV/AIDS.