Rapidly Aging Population Could Strain Public Health Resources
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Contributed by Lisa Olen| 06 September, 2004 17:35 GMT
The World Health Organization has launched a new initiative, "Towards Age-Friendly Primary Health Care," that sets forth guidelines for community-based health centers striving to meet the challenge of caring for a rapidly aging population. More than one billion people will be over 60 years old by 2025, WHO points out, and with aging, the burden of chronic diseases will increase.
The principles are based on qualitative research in five countries. They address three critical areas where more leadership, training and better information are needed if public health centers (PHCs) are to meet the challenge of older people's needs:
Information, education, communication and training for PHC providers;
PHC management systems; and
The physical environment of PHC centres.
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The principles were released during the International Federation on Ageing's Seventh Global Conference on Ageing in Singapore,
Today, there are 600 million people in the world aged 60 years and over. This figure is expected to double by 2025 and to reach 2 billion by 2050. The vast majority of this population will live in the developing world.
Population aging is characteristically accompanied by an increase in the burden of chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer's and other age-associated mental health conditions, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and musculoskeletal problems. As a consequence, pressure on health systems worldwide will increase.
Early detection, appropriate intervention, management and follow-up of chronic conditions take place mainly at the PHC level. Older people already account for a sizable proportion of PHC patients, and as populations age and chronic disease rates climb, that proportion is expected to increase. PHCs are ideally positioned to provide the regular and extended contacts and ongoing care that older persons need at the community level.
"Supporting older people to remain healthy and ensure a good quality of life in their later years is one of the greatest challenges of the health sector in all countries," says Dr. Catherine Le Gal |
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