Background
The world population has never been as mature as
now. Currently, the number of people aged 60 and
over is more than 800 million. Projections indicate
that this figure will increase to over two billion in
2050. People aged 60 can now expect to survive an
additional 18.5 to 21.6 years (1). Soon the world
will have a higher number of older adults than
children. Contrary to common sense perceptions,
the majority of older people live in low- and middleincome
countries, and some of the fastest rates of
ageing are occurring in these areas