The European programme for healthy ageing

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Healthy Ageing delivered a rousing speech to the European Parliament in Brussels on 15 April 2010. It was called "Healthy Ageing – A European Priority: The Dutch Perspective".

Ms Geoghegan-Quinn said that "ageing research is an area of great social, political and economic importance for the European Union". However, she added, there are a number of challenges to meet, especially due to the recent economic crisis having caused much setback.

The commissioner said she wanted to focus on creating "a coherent strategic research agenda" to promote healthy living and healthy ageing. There is an increase in the number of people over 60 of about 2 million every year. For the first time in history most people are able to lead healthy, active and useful lives well into old age. Societies with large numbers of older people bring new opportunities to businesses due to the need for new or adaptive goods and services.

She added that by 2060 there will be a move from four people of working age for every person aged over 65 to a ratio of 2 to 1. In the next ten years, most EU economies will be affected by ageing. The over 65s will comprise 30% of the population up from 17% in 2008. The biggest rise is expected to coincide with the retirement of the baby-boomers from 2015 to 2035.

The challenge, she said is to keep older people healthy and to address age-related illnesses and disabilities. It's not the increasing ageing population per se that is the problem, rather it is the way we move forward to help people remain healthy into advanced old age. This entails the development of multi disciplinary and innovative approaches.

One example is the "Futerage" initiative, the FP7 European project. This sets out to produce a definitive roadmap which will guide European research on ageing and health for the next ten years. The programme is pursuing the most extensive consultation ever carried out in the field of healthy ageing. In so doing, it is mobilising stakeholders,including policy makers, medical practitioners, and industry and representatives of older people.

There will be a series of extensive workshops over 13 countries that form the ERA (Age research area) for scientists and stakeholders.

The most crucial area of study will be understanding the ageing process from birth to old age and to prevent treat age-related diseases. The aim is to achieve a "healthy, dignified and active ageing" for everyone.

What's this?