II. Advancing Health and Well Being into Old Age
8) ENSURING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AT ALL AGES, INCLUDING INDEPENDENT LIVING, HEALTH AND WELL BEING
Good health is one of the prime factors ensuring a person's physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being and quality of life during old age.
A life course and intersectoral approach to health and well-being is the best approach to ensure that both current and future generations of older persons remain healthy and active. Such an approach should address the determinants of health, including behavioural, socioeconomic and environmental factors. Policies should aim to reduce the main risk factors associated with major diseases and increase factors that protect health throughout the life course and provide access to care services.
While some countries in the region are striving for adequate provision of basic health care services for the entire population, others are turning to the provision of primary health care services as the preferred option to improve, maintain and manage the health of their populations, including that of older men and women. As individuals age, non-communicable or chronic diseases become the leading causes of morbidity, disability and mortality. Non-communicable diseases are most effectively managed, including from a cost perspective, through the primary health care sector.
Key actions:
- Promote policies and programmes that support active ageing which is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance the quality of life as people age;
- Promote a life course perspective on health and ageing, through such measures as promoting good nutrition, healthy lifestyle and avoidance of risk factors;
- Ensure a continuum of health care programmes based on a primary health systems approach, including locally based health care practices, health education, health promotion, disease prevention and a coordinated referral system to hospital and other health care services;
- Develop an age-appropriate primary care system integrated with current primary health systems, including financially and physically accessible primary care services, and other elements such as health education, health promotion, disease prevention, and a coordinated referral system to hospital and other health care services;
- Support the training and availability of health workers.
9) PROVIDING QUALITY HEALTH AND LONG-TERM CARE
The combination of demographic ageing and the deficiencies of accommodation and environmental planning make the provision and development of long-term care a serious challenge in many Asia-Pacific countries. However, long-term care systems in many parts of the region are immature and consist of fragmented residential care and some limited official and voluntary home and community care. The majority of care for dependent older persons is provided by family members with scarce community-based resources. In addition, there is often the lack of quality assurance mechanisms and regulatory provisions in formal long term care.
Key actions:
- Pay special attention to the needs of older persons living in rural and remote areas or living alone;
- Improve access to and quality of long-term care for older persons, and develop social support systems to enhance the ability of families to take care of older persons within the family;
- Adopt a comprehensive planning approach taking account of available resources within the community, such as neighbours and volunteers, and direct effort to develop inter-departmental as well as inter-sectoral collaboration. The active involvement of NGOs and the private sector are vital in this regard;
- Provide integrated care services which support individual to age in place in their community for as long as possible;
- Promote mental as well as physical wellbeing of older persons.
