Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 will double from 11% to 22%. The number of people aged 60 and over is expected to increase from 65 million to two billion over the same period and is expected to even exceed the number of children under 5.
Ale aging will dominate the agenda in health policies”, explained to the press of Geneva doctor Sommath Chatterji, coordinator of the study. And, the poorest countries are not at all adapted to this evolution.
“In low- and middle-income countries, health services are not trained to treat the elderly,†says Dr Tiers Boerma, director of the WHO statistics department . He notes that the health problems of these people are multiple and chronic, citing in order of causes of death cancer, respiratory diseases, osteoarthritis, mental and neurological disorders.
“One of the solutions will be the development of universal health coverage recommended by the WHO, but this may differ from one country to another. There is no one size fits all”, concludes Dr. Boerma.
Health measures for aging well
But, to age better, and slow the rate of decline of our physical and cognitive functions, it is essential to limit exposure to risk factors such as unbalanced diettobacco, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and contact with toxic products.
“All the measures to be taken are not necessarily very expensive. We must encourage the population to reduce their salt consumption, to stop smoking, and to have a healthier life,” stressed these experts.
According to WHO figures, there will be 2 billion people aged over 60 by 2050 and 25-30% of people aged 85 and over will suffer from cognitive decline. Thus, the number of people with dementia should, for example, increase from 44 million today to 135 million in 2050.
