60 years is expect to increase to more than two billion with 85% of them living in de- veloping countries. Global ageing will place increased economic and social demands worldwide. However, the ageing population should not be viewed as a threat or a crisis. On the contrary, the WHO Active Ageing Framework recognizes that older persons are precious and invaluable resources who make an extraordinarily important contri- bution to the fabric of all societies. A major factor behind the global ageing and the increase in life expectancy observed in most countries has been the impressive development of public health practices and policies that have greatly reduced prema- ture deaths through the partial control of many previously fatal-infectious diseases. The worldwide development and imple- mentation of PHC practices and the control of communicable diseases are important components of the WHO mission. This un- finished agenda has now been followed by a shift in the global burden of disease from the management of acute conditions to addressing the steady increase in noncom- municable diseases (NCDs). As individuals and societies age, NCDs are increasingly becoming the leading causes of morbidity, disability and mortality in all regions of the world. Fortunately, many NCDs can be prevented through the application of appropriate health promotion and disease-prevention strategies. The WHO Active Ageing Framework recognizes that the failure to prevent or manage the growth of NCDs ap- propriately will result in enormous human
and social costs. This would result in the in- appropriate use of resources, which are still needed to address other health and social challenges. There is a need to shift the pub- lic health paradigm from one that focuses on “finding and fixing” acute problems to a more systematic, coordinated, and compre- hensive strategy designed to prevent, treat, and manage the growing number of NCDs worldwide. The WHO Falls Prevention Model is an example of such a systematic, coordinated, and comprehensive strategy designed to reduce the burden of one of the most significant causes of age-related injuries and non-communicable conditions associated with old age. The extensive reviews of the scientific literature summarized in earlier sections of this report underscore the reality that falls among older people are a large and increas- ing cause of injury, treatment costs and death in virtually all regions of the world. The WHO Active Ageing Framework recognizes that the injuries sustained as a consequence of a fall in old age are almost always more severe than when that occurs earlier in life. For injuries of the same severity, older people experience more disability, longer hospital stays, extended periods of rehabili- tation, a higher risk of subsequent depen- dency as well as a higher risk of dying. The good news is that many fall-related injuries are preventable. There is now compelling evidence that risk-factors for falling can be influenced by the implementation of targeted intervention strategies designed to modify the various intrinsic and extrinsic