On September 28, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The Senior Generation Forum has opened a series of events in the Vitebsk region dedicated to the Day of the Elderly. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the Committee for Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. About 250 people took part in the event, organised in the settlement of Novka, Vitebsk district. These included representatives of district and city executive committees, veterans' councils, Belarusian Red Cross Society (BRCS) organisations, employees of the social protection and healthcare systems, members of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRYU), as well as participants of initiative groups and clubs for the elderly established within city and district BRCS organisations. During the forum, they will discuss issues of population ageing, maintaining the health of the elderly, and their opportunities for active participation in public life. Representatives of the Pskov Red Cross organisation (Russia), as well as district organisations of the Vitebsk branch of the BRCS, will share their experience of working with the elderly. They will present projects on organising employment and leisure activities, promoting healthy lifestyles, and mutual assistance among the elderly. In the coming days, events dedicated to the Day of the Elderly will be held throughout the Vitebsk region. For instance, literary and musical meetings, as well as poetry readings involving older people, are planned within the region's library network. "Blue lights" and recreation evenings will take place in district and city cultural centres, territorial social service centres, and day care facilities. Enterprises and organisations will host receptions for labour veterans, presenting them with souvenirs and gifts. Tributes will also be organised within local authorities. In Vitebsk, on September 30, elderly citizens are invited to the "Vitebsk" Concert Hall for a concert featuring the city's best creative groups. Museums in the regional centre will open their doors to them on October 1. In Orsha, representatives of the golden age will be not only spectators but also active participants in these events: the city festival of artistic creativity of the elderly started here on September 28, with its final stage scheduled for October 12. The elderly population constitutes 24% of the Vitebsk region's population. However, they are active and diligent participants in public life, making their feasible contribution to the region's development, the committee added. -0-

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