Some call them old, some call them aged, but they call themselves ‘a new power'.
Worldwide there are around 600 million persons aged 60 years and over; this total will double by 2025 and will reach virtually two billion by 2050 - the vast majority of them in the developing world.
The World Health Organisation, in its report, said older people will increasingly play a crucial role - through volunteer work, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force.
Already now, older persons make major contributions to society. For instance, throughout Africa millions of adult Aids patients are cared for at home by their parents. Orphaned children left behind (currently, 14 million under the age of 15 in African countries alone) are mainly looked after by their grandparents.
It is not only in developing countries that an older persons' role in development is critical. In Spain caring for dependent and sick individuals is predominantly done by older people (particularly women); the average number of minutes per day spent in providing such care increases exponentially with the carers' age: 201 minutes if the carer is in the age group 65-74 and 318 minutes if aged 75-84 - compared to only 50 minutes if the carer is in the age group 30-49.
Such contributions to development can only be ensured if older persons enjoy adequate levels of health, for which appropriate policies need to be in place. In line with the Madrid International Plan of Action, the World Health Organisation launched in 2002 a document "Active Ageing - A Policy Framework", outlining its approaches and perspectives for healthy ageing throughout the life course.
Take A Note
The world is rapidly ageing:
- In 2006, the number of persons aged 60 and older was 650 million.
- In 2025, the number will be almost double: 1.2 billion people will be 60 and older.
- By 2050, there will be 2 billion people aged 60 and over in the world.
Our world is a growing city:
- In 2007, over half of the global population lives in cities.
- By 2030 about three out of five people will live in cities.
