This website is a living document of our worldwide research into the lives of elderly. In October 2017 there was an International Festival on Elderly in The Netherlands, accompanied by the publication of our book and documentary.
We are facing a worldwide demographic shift that has never occurred before. Slowly but surely a substantial part of the global population is growing older than 55. Expectations are that this will grow to 35% of the world’s population. That will change everything. It will change our visual culture, sound culture, the economy, healthcare, ways […]
Last week Sunday I had the pleasure of finally meeting the infamous Jean. A few weeks prior Sabya had called me, sounding slightly worried. She was trying to contact Jean via email and by calling his home phone for several weeks now and had not received any kind of response. According to Sabya, something […]
This is Sophia. For her full story click the link below I love the portrait and story of Sophia, a grand old Lady, Queenlike in her beautiful saree. What catches me is the way she tells about her life, touching on the lives of her 5 children, on the history and […]
When I started working for the Faketory and looked at the “elderly of the world” website, I was amazed and quite overwhelmed by how much material and content was there. I decided to approach it as if I was reading a book and not as if I was flipping through, let’s say, a shopping website. […]
Elderly in the rural area in Cambodia have given a new shape to reciprocity during the last decade. In the rural area, where people live from farming mostly, and are still living in an extended family environment, there has been a population change. Many adult children move to a city or neighboring countries for work […]
As we do in other countries, we also research the current demographic trends and policy to find important developments and key issues. In a serie of 3 articles you can read about Cambodia. From all census and research information done in Cambodia, the following key issues are formulated: 1. Poverty Many elderly are living in […]
Another day in our research into elderly in Cambodia found us in Battambang province, in the house of a woman of 85 years old, Ean Mann. Thanks to our translator, we finally understood what Ean Mann (85) was repeating to us when we left: “I will miss you forever daughter, you and your family. For ever, […]
This is Chamso, who we met during one of the Buddhist days at the pagoda. She showed us the small room where she lives, at the side of the Pagoda, together with other “Obesaka”, elderly women who devote their life to the teachings of Buddha. Talking to her we found out that her 5 children […]
One of the main answers we get when we ask elderly around Cambodia about loneliness is that they miss their children. The one thing we encounter in all houses, poor and rich, and at the houses that we can barely call a house were photos of their children, and often their late husband (or wife). […]
In Phnom Penh we were looking for elderly who are still working independently of their family. One of the people we met was Mr. Sok Than, a 61 year old cyclo driver in Phnom Penh. He told us: “I come to work in Phnom Penh almost 11 years already. Before I was a farmer.Because my […]