POST  50

Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years will double from about 11% to 22%. The number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion over the same period.

We need to reinvent our assumptions of old age. Society needs to break stereotypes and develop new models of ageing for the 21st century. Everyone benefits from communities, workplaces and societies that encourage active and visible participation of older people.

Supportive, “age-friendly” environments allow older people to live fuller lives and maximize the contribution they make. Creating “age-friendly” physical and social environments can have a big impact on improving the active participation and independence of older people.

Effective, community-level primary health care for older people is crucial. Good care is important for promoting older people's health, preventing disease and managing chronic illnesses. Most training for health professionals does not include instruction about specific care for older people. However, health workers will increasingly spend more of their time caring for this section of the population. WHO maintains that all health providers should be trained on ageing issues.

The number of people aged 80 and older will quadruple in the period 2000 to 2050. By 2050 the world will have almost 400 million people aged 80 years or older. Never before have the majority of middle-aged adults had living parents.

By 2050, 80% of older people will live in low- and middle-income countries. Chile, China and the Islamic Republic of Iran will have a greater proportion of older people than the United States of America. The number of older people in Africa will grow from 54 million to 213 million.