Suchergebnisse

Demographic ageing is a reality - within 25 years half the population of Western Europe will be over 50, one quarter over 65, and the Less Developed Countries will contain one billion elderly people. Ageing Societies examines the myths, challenges and opportunities behind these figures. Ageing Societies explores three areas: the growing necessity for extending economic activity into later life and the implications of societal ageing for the intergenerational contract and the provision of social security the changes in modern families and the implications the changes have for the provision o

The consequences of population ageing for Australia are increasingly debated at a national and state level. Ageing issues on the policy agenda now reflect the need to take a broader societal approach. However, the evidence to inform policy is still lacking in a number of areas. In particular, more needs to be understood about ageing from the community perspective, including evidence on values and attitudes across the generations and the expectations and needs of older age groups. This paper explores the evidence on community perspectives and attitudes on ageing and the extent to which it has informed policy and program development. Using illustrations from Queensland, key policy challenges presented by some of the broader emerging issues will be highlighted, along with possible strategies for policy development in the future.

Cognitive decline is the first outward sign of dementia, which has a major public health impact on individuals and governments around the world. As individuals age, cognitive abilities gradually start to deteriorate for independent or combined genetic and environmental causes. Given that very little can be done regarding our genetic inheritance, the focus of the current research is on modifiable risk factors across the life course. There is a well-established relationship between specific lifestyle behaviours and cognitive decline, but extremely limited research on the role of combined lifestyle factors. This chapter aims to describe the process of cognitive ageing on multiple cognitive domains (fluid and crystallised), highlighting the changes in cognitive performance occurring as a normal process of ageing, as well as the most severe forms of cognitive impairment indicative of probable risk of dementia. Also, the role of modifiable risk factors such as lifestyle behaviours (alcohol, smoking, physical activity and dietary patterns) will be evaluated in relation to healthy cognitive ageing and preventions of cognitive decline. There are many questions to be answered regarding the biological foundations of cognitive ageing across the spectrum, and the potential role of lifestyle behaviours in reverting the accelerated changes in the cognitive ageing process.

On July 13(th) 2010, Lazlo Andor (Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) declared that active ageing could make the baby-boomers generation a part of the solution of the demographic problem, instead of identifying with it. This is the reason why the "Europe 2020" strategy draws the attention to the necessity of ensuring that the elderly will remain healthy and active for as long as possible. The purpose of this article is to define the exact concept of "active ageing", its content, as well as some beneficial tips by applying innovative programs in order to promote it in the European Union. Reading the published papers the impression is that despite the increasing number of the elderly in Europe, the potential of an active life while ageing can be beneficial in many ways for the society. It is required that the local and regional authorities create the appropriate conditions for participation, while making thoughtful use of the European funding programs.