Socio-economic implications of demographic changes: Healthy Ageing 7 July 2010 Anne-Sophie Parent

Set up in 2001 European Network with about 150 organisations of people aged 50+ Represents directly over 28 million older people Aims to voice and defend the interests of older people and to raise awareness on the issues that concern them Co-financed by a grant of the EU (Progress) and by its member AGE Platform Europe at a glance

Towards a society of all ages: promote inter- and intra-generational solidarity Older people as a resource: take into account hte cultural and professional resource represented by older people Older people as self-advocates: older people should be able to speak on their own behalf Guiding principles

In 2050: o 18% of people aged (13% today) o 11% of people aged 80+ (4% today) Women employment rate in 2008 Aged 15-64: 59,1% Aged 55-64: 36,9% Among people aged 65 +, 43% more women Poverty among older women over 65: 22% (16% among men) Some figures

« Healthy ageing is a process of optimising opportunities for physical, social and mental health to enable older people to take active part in society without discrimination and to enjoy an independent and good quality of life » Healthy Ageing Project, A challenge for Europe, Healthy ageing

Access to healthcare (esp. financial barriers) Increased reliance on private funding for access to healthcare (complementary health insurance are allowed to charge higher premiums to women) Prevention is still very relevant (e.g. physical activities, diet, cancer screening) and should be adapted (e.g. injury prevention). Elder abuse and quality of care Importance of the physical and mental dimension: social participation, built environment and transport Issues to be considered

Impact of today’s living and working conditions on women’s health Sandwich generation: Fiscal consolidation will hurt women more than men: more reliance on informal care will result in growing gender gap lower pension entitlements for women Women’s life styles more risky than before (stress at work, living alone, alcohol consumption and smoking behaviour) Quality of work and transition to retirement Issues to be considered

Thank you for your attention !

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