The 10th German Senior Citizens Day took place on May 3rd - 5th, 2012 in Hamburg. This central three-day event to celebrate the EY2012 aimed to provide up-to-date information for experts, organisations and consumers on politics, policies and products for senior citizens.

In his opening speech, President of Germany Joachim Gauck highlighted that managing our age in a responsible way by keeping interest in the future of democracy helped to keep a functioning society alive. Dr. Lothar Dittmer, executive board member of the Köber Foundation, whose current focus is to strengthen the potential of older generations, pointed out that there has been hardly any social debate regarding how older people would like to live. He stressed the importance of talking about how these years can be used effectively.

In her speech at the German Senior's Congress, Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed the importance of senior citizens' political participation, encouraging them to discuss key social issues in a self-conscious manner and “Say Yes to Ageing” (“JA zum Alter!”), the convention's motto. The German Chancellor also commented on how important it is for senior citizens to get involved, communicate and voice their opinions.

In the Hamburg Declaration at the close of the Congress, the German National Association of Senior Citizens' Organizations (BAGSO), together with its 110 member organizations encouraged senior citizens to look at the challenges and opportunities of old age and get more involved in society. Policy makers were asked to create the necessary frameworks, as well as opportunities to help shape policy, promote lifelong learning and improve social security.

At the accompanying SenNovam trade fair, over 100 exhibitors from varied fields such as technology, fitness, leisure, assisted living and finance, motivated the 20,000 visitors to actively design and shape their senior years.

More information available at deutscher-seniorentag.de