3 Apr, 2012
Ageing Societies to be Theme of World Health Day, April 7
Ageing and health – to which each and every one of us can relate – is the theme of this year’s World Health Day to be marked on April 7. Using the slogan “Good health adds life to years”, campaign activities and materials will focus on how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities.
World Health Day marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. It is a global campaign, inviting everyone – from global leaders to the public in all countries – to focus on a single health challenge with global impact. Focusing on new and emerging health issues, World Health Day provides an opportunity to start collective action to protect people’s health and well-being. It is an opportunity to engage in finding solutions that benefit us all.
Over the past century life expectancy has increased dramatically and the world will soon have more older people than children. Populations are ageing everywhere, but less-developed countries are witnessing the fastest change. This social transformation represents both challenges and opportunities. In particular, countries may only have a single generation to prepare their health and social systems for an ageing world.
The topic of World Health Day in 2012 is Ageing and Health with the theme “Good health adds life to years”. The focus is how good health throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities. Ageing concerns each and every one of us – whether young or old, male or female, rich or poor – no matter where we live.
The WHO has developed a comprehensive toolkit to help plan activities to celebrate World Health Day in 2012. It includes the following materials:
(+) information on ageing and health, including population trends;
(+) key messages and calls to action;
(+) ideas for planning and implementing events and campaigns;
(+) a list of communications materials you can use;
(+) tips on how to effectively engage audiences through social and traditional media; and
(+) contacts for technical and communications support.
Are you ready? What you need to know about ageing
(+) The number of people today aged 60 and over has doubled since 1980.
(+) The number of people aged 80 years will almost quadruple to 395 million between now and 2050.
(+) Within the next five years, the number of adults aged 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5.
(+) By 2050, these older adults will outnumber all children under the age of 14.
(+) The majority of older people live in low- or middle-income countries. By, 2050, this number will have increased to 80%.
In the 21st century, health is determined by and contributes to broad social trends. Economies are globalizing, more and more people live and work in cities, family patterns are changing and technology is evolving rapidly. One of the biggest social transformations is population ageing. Soon, the world will have more older people than children and more people of very old age than ever before.
1. The world will have more people who live to see their 80s or 90s than ever before.
The number of people aged 80 years or older, for example, will have almost quadrupled to 395 million between 2000 and 2050. There is no historical precedent for a majority of middle-aged and older adults having living parents, as is already the case today. More children will know their grandparents and even their great-grandparents, especially their great-grandmothers. On average, women live six to eight years longer than men.
2. The past century has seen remarkable improvements in life expectancy
In 1910, the life expectancy for a Chilean female was 33 years; today, a mere century later, it is 82 years. This represents a remarkable gain of almost 50 years of life in one century, and is largely due to improvements in public health.
3. Soon, the world will have more older people than children
Within the next five years, for the first time in human history, the number of adults aged 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5. By 2050, these older adults will outnumber children under the age of 14.
4. The world population is rapidly ageing
Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will double from about 11% to 22%. The absolute number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion over the same period.
5. Low- and middle-income countries will experience the most rapid and dramatic demographic change
For example, it took more than 100 years for the share of France’s population aged 65 or older to double from 7 to 14%. In contrast, it will take countries like Brazil and China less than 25 years to reach the same growth.
Demographic changes are accompanied by new challenges.
(+) Even in poor countries, most older people die of noncommunicable diseases
Even in poor countries, most older people die of noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, rather than from infectious and parasitic diseases. In addition, older people often have several health problems at the same time, such as diabetes and heart disease.
(+) The number of people living with disability is increasing due to population ageing and because of the greater risk of chronic health problems in older age
For example, about 65% of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, with this age group comprising about 20% of the world’s population. With an increasing elderly population in many countries, more people will be at risk of age-related visual impairment.
(+) Globally, many older people are at risk of maltreatment
Around 4-6% of older people in developed countries have experienced some form of maltreatment at home. Abusive acts in institutions include physically restraining patients, depriving them of dignity (by for instance leaving them in soiled clothes) and intentionally providing insufficient care (such as allowing them to develop pressure sores). The maltreatment of older people can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
(+) The need for long-term care is rising
The number of older people who are no longer able to look after themselves in developing countries is forecast to quadruple by 2050. Many of the very old lose their ability to live independently because of limited mobility, frailty or other physical or mental health problems. Many require some form of long-term care, which can include home nursing, community care and assisted living, residential care and long stays in hospitals.
(+) Worldwide, there will be a dramatic increase in the number of people with dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease, as people live longer
The risk of dementia rises sharply with age with an estimated 25-30% of people aged 85 or older having some degree of cognitive decline. Older people with dementia in low- and middle-income countries generally do not have access to the affordable long-term care their condition may warrant. Often their families do not often have publicly funded support to help with care at home.
(+) In emergency situations, older people can be especially vulnerable
When communities are displaced by natural disasters or armed conflict, older people may be unable to flee or travel long distances and may be left behind. Yet, in many situations they can also be a valuable resource for their communities as well as for the humanitarian aid process when they are involved as community leaders.
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