LIVE LONG AND PROSPER


THE DECADE OF HEALTHY AGEING


Not many seemed to notice in the midst of Covid-19, but in December, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2021-2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing.


By Angela Body, Managing Director, 4Health Home Care Agency Ltd T


he Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said this sent out a clear signal that it is only by working together that we will be able to not only add years to life, but also life to years’.


The UN Resolution expressed concern that, despite the predictability of population ageing and its accelerating pace, the world is not sufficiently prepared to respond to the rights and needs of older people. It said that the ageing of the population obviously impacts health systems but it is also critical for many other aspects of society, including labour and financial markets and the demand for goods and services, such as education, housing, long-


Page 52 Beyond 20/20 - Features


term care, social protection and information.


Initiatives being undertaken as part of the UN decade will seek to change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing; facilitate the ability of older people to participate in and contribute to their communities and society; deliver integrated care and primary health services that are responsive to the needs of the individual; and provide access to long-term care for older people who need it.


As a small island, Jersey is among the most vulnerable to this global phenomenon, and it is a subject on the government’s agenda. Progress is being made but it has been


slow and there is still much to do. Everyone in the Island has a part to play even if it is simply encouraging and helping the elderly to be more active.


We really are all in this together An ageing population is one of the reasons why the government’s long-term plan is to change our lifestyles. Keeping us fit as we grow older avoids putting even more pressure on health and social care services.


The result is that most of us are at least walking more and many are able to cycle into work and even seem to enjoy it. Companies are popping up everywhere telling us how we can live a fuller, more healthy life, and some of us have become


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100