title: Understanding and meeting the needs of the older population: a global challenge.
abstract: In the past century, there has been a significant rise in life expectancy in almost all regions of the world, contributing to an increasingly older population. The aging of the population, in conjunction with urbanization and industrialization, has resulted in an important epidemiological transition marked by a widespread increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and their sequelae. Current trends suggest that the transition will have a greater impact on developing countries compared to developed countries. An adequate response to the transition requires a strong emphasis on primary prevention and adequate resource allocation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada;
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Sathya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karunananthan
authors.forename: Luis M G
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Robledo
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brodsky
authors.forename: Piu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bovet
keywords: aged; chronic disease; health service needs and demands; world health