QUALITY IMPROVEMENT


World Health Organization Combats Ageism With a Global Campaign


By Sharon Cohen T


he World Health Organization has launched a global campaign to combat ageism seeking to build


a world for all ages by changing the way people think, feel, and act toward age and aging. The initiative in part has been spurred by a need to act now to generate a positive effect on individuals and society as populations around the globe age rapidly. By 2050, the world’s population aged 60


years and older is expected to double to near- ly 2 billion people, up from about 900 million in 2015. Today, 125 million people world- wide are 80 years and older. By 2050, there will be approximately that many people, or about 120 million, in that age group living in China alone and 434 million people 80-plus worldwide. WHO, a United Nations agency focusing on promoting international health work and research, wants to address issues of ageism related to this expanding segment of the world population. As part of its efforts, WHO has been


investing in three areas: • Gathering evidence on ageism (i.e. what it is, how it is experienced, how it is mea- sured, its consequences and strategies to tackle it), and also on how to campaign to tackle ageism (i.e. what works, what doesn’t work);


• Building a global coalition of stakehold- ers to lead the way towards a non-ageist world; and


• Raising awareness about the need to tackle ageism.


“A longer life brings with it opportunities, not only for older people and their families but also for societies as a whole,” according to WHO. “Additional years provide the chance to pursue new activities such as fur- ther education, a new career, or pursuing a long neglected passion. Older people also


32 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019


contribute in many ways to their families and communities. Yet the extent of these opportunities and contributions depends heavily on one factor: health.” WHO defines ageism as the stereotyping,


prejudice, and discrimination toward peo- ple on the basis of age. “Ageism is highly prevalent, however, unlike other forms of discrimination, including sexism and rac- ism, it is socially acceptable and usually unchallenged because of its largely implicit and subconscious nature,” according to the WHO campaign. The pace of populations aging around


the globe are increasing dramatically. For example, France had 150 years to consid- er how it would adapt to the rise from 10 percent to 20 percent in its over-60 popula- tion. But Brazil, China, and India only have about 20 years to deal with similar growth in their populations’ older adults. The international group adopted a global


strategy and action plan on aging and health in May 2016, encouraging its 194 member states to participate and share their progress on 10 indicators. In May 2018, WHO de-


“A longer life brings with it opportunities, not only for older people and their families but also for societies as a whole,” according to WHO.


veloped a mid-term progress report focusing on those indicators and how countries have been addressing them. It found that 112 countries have a national focal point on aging and health, 45 percent of countries have a national policy on the issue and 88 countries have national legislation and enforcement mechanisms against age-based discrimina- tion. (See chart below for the global status on these 10 metrics for progress.) The group is set to discuss its global strat-


egy and action plan on aging and health, including the campaign, during the 2019 World Health Assembly in May.


6 QUESTIONS SHAPED THE ANTI-AGEISM CAMPAIGN


1. What is the global prevalence of ageism? 2. What are the causes or determinants of ageism? 3. What are the consequences of ageism at an individual and at a societal level? 4. What strategies exist to effectively tackle ageism?


5. What are the available metrics to measure the different dimensions of ageism and its implicit and explicit expressions?


6. What are the most effective ways of building public understanding and expanding thinking about age and ageing?


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