World Senior Citizen’s Day is celebrated on the 21st of August each year. It was first proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 14, 1990.

Learn about Senior Citizen Day

You have probably been told many times before that you need to respect your elders. In fact, this is a phrase that most children hear throughout their lives! Well, Senior Citizen Day is all about respecting your elders. It is about honoring those people who have been on this earth longer than we have. Getting old is not easy. You have been independent your whole life, and then you feel this being stripped away from you. It can be very difficult to deal with, and that is why we all need to make sure that we are there for our grandparents and older people in general. That’s what this day celebrates, and it’s special to be a part of it.

After all, seniors bring so much to the world! They offer their experience, their wisdom, and their knowledge. Our elderly friends and family have a lifetime’s worth of incredible experiences and tales to share with us. For centuries, cultures across the globe have looked to older people in the communities in order to provide them with knowledge and wisdom. In times of trouble or when we need some advice and direction, we can always rely on older people to impart their great wisdom to us.

However, while our grandparents have us to turn to and rely on to keep those smiles on their faces, it is important to recognize that there are a lot of seniors who are incredibly lonely. This is why it is important to pay tribute to all seniors on this day. There are a lot of charities out there that are designed to help combat loneliness in older people, so why not give them some of your time?

History of Senior Citizen Day

Let’s discuss life expectancy throughout the ages, starting in the Late Middle Ages. During this time period, those who were at the top of the social strata had a life expectancy of 30 years old, 30 years! Could you imagine graduating High School only to have less time remaining on this Earth than you spent in school? That’s how far things have come since those days of old. Even in the 1900s, the age had only increased to 31, but that’s when things really started getting incredible.

You see, as medical technology advanced, which it has been doing exponentially in the last 100 years, so did life expectancy advances with it. In the 1950’s we saw an average life expectancy of 48 the world over, and then in 2014, it had expanded to 71.5 years, more than double the life expectancy of our medieval counterparts! In fact, in Monaco, you find the longest life expectancy in the world, 89.52 years!

This means that we have more and more people living to a ripe old age and able to share their wisdom, stories, and experience with several generations.

So, what about the history of this date? Well, World Senior Citizen’s Day first occurred in 1988. It was founded by Ronald Reagan officially; the former president of the United States of America. The promulgation of 5847 was signed on the 19th of August in 1988. He announced it saying the following:

For all that, they have achieved throughout their lives and for all that they continue to do, we owe our gratitude and sincere greetings to our senior citizens. We can show our gratitude and appreciation better by making sure our communities are good places. Age and maturity, places where older people can participate as much as possible and find the encouragement, acceptance, support and services they need to continue living a life of independence and dignity.

President Ronald Reagan