Year of the old

2012 has been designated the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations by the European Union.

The EU said it offered a chance to reflect on how Europeans were living longer and staying healthier, and to realise the opportunities that represented. 'Active ageing can give the baby-boom generation and tomorrow's older adults the opportunity to stay in the workforce, keep playing an active role in society, and live as healthy and fulfilling lives as possible,' it added.

The European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) highlighted the initiative in its latest newsletter: 'This may be a good opportunity to present relevant ac­tivities linked to age-related visual impairment, preventable blindness, vision in the workforce and vision and the information age.'