Clinical and public health consequences of population ageing.
Those providing primary health care and referral services for the adult population should have the knowledge and positive attitudes that encourage persons, as they age, to maintain function and wellbeing. The WHO programme on Health of the Elderly is oriented to maintain wellbeing as men (and increasingly women) transit through the lifespan in increasing numbers. The key question, for clinical medicine and public health, is to identify the determinants of healthy ageing. The epidemiological thrust of the programme is designed to provide a rational basis for policy and programme development. For the countries of Asia, there is a "green field" situation with regard to knowledge about ageing. A major tool for identifying measures to prevent and control age-related disorders is the prospective, longitudinal study, although none has been conducted in ageing populations outside of industrialized countries. The top quality of evidence for assessing the efficacy of interventions directed at improving the health of the elderly is the randomized controlled trial: few such trials have been conducted outside Europe and North America. Teaching on ageing applicable to the Asian situation is just beginning, and self-health care guidance for the general public is beginning to appear in the popular press. There are moves to establish a better balance of care between hospital and community services and guides are available for assessing the quality of long term care services. The two pillars of the WHO programme on Health of the Elderly are prevention and development of alternatives to institutional care.
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D000375:Aging; D001208:Asia; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D014944:World Health Organization