Next year will mark the beginning of the Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020-2030) – an opportunity to bring together governments, civil society, international agencies, professionals, academia, the media and the private sector for 10 years of intensive action to improve the lives of older people, their families and their communities.
Many societies in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region are ageing rapidly. Now adults over 60 years of age are the fastest-growing age group in the Region, the result of increasing life expectancies coupled with declining fertility rates . Rapid social and economic development and notable public health successes have also contributed to people living longer.
Population ageing comes with challenges: many people live longer, but not all live well. For adults over 60, the greatest health issue is increased noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Stronger efforts are required to prevent and manage NCDs so older people can enjoy better quality of life and continue to be productive members of society.
With preparation, however, population ageing can be an opportunity to improve services for older people while also transforming health systems more broadly. For example, preparing for an ageing population requires that so-called social determinants of health be addressed, such as living conditions, social inclusion and social security. It also requires reorientation of health systems to focus more on services that “accompany” people throughout their lives as part of community-based primary care. These benefits of changes reach everyone in the society.
Ensuring healthy ageing for all
In the Western Pacific Region, WHO continues to support Member States in finding ways to ensure that healthy ageing is enjoyed by all.
At the recent seventieth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, Member State representatives participated in an in-depth panel discussion on ageing and health.
In his introduction to the discussion, WHO Regional Director Dr Takeshi Kasai noted that population ageing will eventually confront all countries in the Region. His home country Japan had underestimated the pace of ageing, he said, stressing that preparing for an ageing society is an opportunity to provide better care for older people while ensuring that health systems are more effective and responsive to current and future health challenges.
“It is clear that early action yields the greatest benefits – both better health outcomes, and improved quality of life and productivity more generally. The earlier we prepare, the better,” Dr Kasai said. “There are many examples in our Region of communities that foresaw the growing ageing population and invested early.”
In a video presentation that opened the discussion, Professor Atsushi Seike, a prominent expert on labour economics who advised the Government of Japan on social security reform, provided an overview of the country’s rapid and unprecedented population ageing.
Professor Seike said Japan’s workforce would decline by 12 million people by 2040, which may result in a drop in economic output and consumption. At the same time, demand would increase for services from the social security system, including medical and long-term care. To meet this dual challenge, he said countries should promote a life-long active society and reform social security systems.
The Minister for Health from Singapore Mr Gan Kim Yong also shared his country’s experiences with population ageing, noting that living longer presents opportunities to make ageing “exciting and colourful”.
Singapore, like Japan, has a relatively low birth rate and tight labour market, Minister Gan explained. Singapore began laying foundations for population ageing in the 1980s, with stakeholders working together to develop policies and strategies in domains such as health and wellness, retirement adequacy, life-long learning and employment. Following public consultation, he said, the Action Plan for Successful Ageing was launched in 2015, with initiatives that have benefited not only older people but also the broader population.
Other Member State representatives also shared how healthy ageing is being supported in their countries. Many echoed the need to take early action to ensure that older people live with dignity and respect. At the close of the discussion, the Regional Committee called for the development of a new regional action plan to guide the collective work of WHO and Member States on healthy ageing.
Decade of Healthy Ageing
In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders pledged “to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment”, leaving no one behind. This can only be achieved by ensuring the best possible health and well-being for older people.
The WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2016, ensures that the global response to population ageing is aligned with the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Global Strategy proposed four years of work to prepare the world for a decade of concerted, catalytic and collaborative global action – the Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020–2030).
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Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020–2030)