60 years is expect to increase to more than
two billion with 85% of them living in developing
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 contribution
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 premature
deaths through the partial control of
many previously fatal-infectious diseases.
The worldwide development and implementation
of PHC practices and the control
of communicable diseases are important
components of the WHO mission. This unfinished
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 noncommunicable
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 appropriately
will result in enormous human