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International Day of Older Persons - Health First Europe calls on governments to review their healthcare policies

30 September 2009

International Day of Older Persons - Health First Europe calls on governments to review their healthcare policies

Demographic forecasts indicate a rapid ageing of our populations. As more and more people grow older and live longer, Health First Europe insists that modern healthcare policies adopt a more flexible approach to meet the demands of older persons.

As the world is celebrating the International Day of Older Persons, the debate inevitably turns to a demographic revolution that has been long under way, confronting us with the fact that our populations are ageing at an unprecedented rate. One out of ten persons world-wide is today aged 60 years or above. By 2050 this ratio will have changed to one out of five, which in some developed countries is already today’s reality. If today we count 600 million people aged 60 years and above, by 2050 this number will have increased to almost 2 billion. And among those, the age group of 80 and above is the single fastest growing segment, rising to 30 percent of the older population in Europe in the next 30 years.

The socioeconomic pressures of this development are evident and the number of people suffering from chronic diseases that are usually associated with old age will increase at similar rates. Older people are more likely to suffer from a whole range of debilitating health conditions, including chronic noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and other agerelated mental health conditions, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and musculoskeletal problems but also the loss of vision or hearing or other physical disabilities.

It is however a common misperception that older people merely represent the frail, vulnerable and dependent in society. Most people in their old age prefer to retain their independence and many older persons do succeed in remaining active until very late in their lives. Older generations make invaluable contributions to society, be it by caring for dependent or sick individuals, through voluntary work, as consumers, through an extended working life or by transferring skills and knowledge to younger generations. The World Health Organization in 2002 made it a clear goal to ensure adequate living standards for people as they grow older, reflected in its concept of healthy ageing.

Health First Europe now calls on European governments for greater flexibility in health care policies, for finding a new balance between home-care, informal support and formal care, while defending and improving the quality of life of older people. Medical innovation has come a long way in providing for faster and more accurate diagnosis, better treatment, increased safety and technologies that will help to achieve this goal. It needs to be ensured that elderly patients have full access to the benefits of these innovations, that they are adequately informed and receive a proper training.

Adequate homecare and self-care for example can reduce the need for hospitalisation. Technologies suchas remote patient monitoring, home dialysis or self-administered blood glucose tests allow patients toremain in the familiar and comfortable setting of their homes.

Mrs Imelda Read, Honorary Chairperson of Health First Europe, underlined that “we need to recognize that changing demographic patterns require a reform of health care policies in all of our countries. If we want to improve the quality of life of older people and harness also the advantages connected with having an ageing population, we will have to start delivering more flexible forms of healthcare and offering equitable access to modern, innovative and reliable medical technology”. <:p>

Established in 2004, Health First Europe is a not-for-profit, non-commercial alliance of patients, healthcare workers, academics, healthcare experts and the medical technology industry. Its primary aim is to ensure that healthcare is regarded as a vital investment in the future of Europe and that every European citizen should benefit from the best medical treatments available. As part of a series of awareness-raising activities, Health First Europe organises events and issues publications with the aim of communicating the following core messages to EU decision-makers and opinion leaders:

• There are weaknesses in European healthcare systems; a re-think is required in order to meetcurrent and future health challenges
• Patients and clinicians should have equitable access to modern, innovative and reliable medical technology
• The development of new and flexible modes of healthcare delivery will benefit both patients and healthcare providers
• “Health equals wealth”. Health is a productive economic factor in terms of employment, innovationand economic growth

For more information, please visit: www.healthfirsteurope.org