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Overview |
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Home | Health Topics | Contact WHO/AFRO | WHO Headquarters | Search | Site Map |
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Overview |
Ageing can be viewed as a continuous process of progressive change in all structures and functions of the body: the impact of such changes on a person's quality of life is largely dependent on the social and cultural milieu. In all countries, people are living longer. The graying of humanity is a revolution, a revolution that is changing family structure; that is hitting developing countries harder than others; that is imposing more and more burden on women; and which extends well beyond demographics, with major economic, social, cultural, psychological and spiritual implications. The theme of World Health Day 1999, in the International Year of Older Persons, ‘Active Ageing makes the difference', recognises that it is important for older people to go on playing a role in society. Active ageing involves every dimension of one's life: physical, mental, social and spiritual. Maintaining health and quality of life across the lifespan will do much towards building fulfilled lives, a harmonious, intergenerational community and a dynamic economy. The major challenge is to understand and promote the factors that keep people health, as they grow older. Since health and well-being in older age are largely a result of experiences throughout the life span, work on ageing and health has to take a holistic approach, involving other WHO programmes, such as primary health care, gender analysis, noncommunicable disease, mental health and rehabilitation. |
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