Kamalesh Sharma Commonwealth Secretary General
We warmly welcome the initiative of CommonAge in bringing together aged care service providers in Commonwealth countries so that collectively they can work to improve the quality of life and care of our older citizens.
A distinctive feature of the Commonwealth is the range of organisations that link and serve our people. These bring depth and strength to the worldwide connections of citizens in our member states – as reflected in our theme this year ‘Team Commonwealth’. The immense good that is achieved through intergovernmental cooperation, ministerial meetings, and official dialogue, is immeasurably enhanced by the vigour and dedication of Commonwealth civil society organisations, professional bodies, and special interest groups.
Much is made – quite rightly – of the fact that more than half the population of the Commonwealth is aged 25 or under. However, longer life expectancies, demographic shifts, and changes in traditional social patterns, mean that aged care service provision is an area of increasing importance for all communities.
CommonAge has an important role to play in bringing together institutions and individuals involved with all areas of aged care – including retirement housing, residential care, nursing care, assisted living, community care, dementia care, allied health services, palliative and end of life care. By strengthening links between practitioners and providers, and by sharing best practice and disseminating knowledge gained from practical experience in our member states, CommonAge renders a most valuable service to the Commonwealth that will help to raise standards and encourage professional development.
It is a pleasure to welcome CommonAge to ‘Team Commonwealth’, and we look forward with great anticipation to the contributions that will be made towards improving the care and welfare of our older citizens. Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary General