May 31, 2016

From Plan to Action: Combating Ageism to Achieve Healthy Ageing

Key-messages-WHA-Event-25-May-16The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the World Report on Ageing and Health in October 2015. The WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health (GSAP) is expected to be adopted during the 69th World Health Assembly in May 2016. A fundamental step in fostering healthy ageing is to combat ageism by changing societal beliefs and attitudes.

Alongside racism and sexism, ageism is pervasive, and insidious, stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups based on their age. It is one of the most impenetrable barriers to action and effective public health policy on healthy ageing. It influences individual behaviour, social values and norms and may also result in older people and population ageing being disregarded or omitted in data collection, policy development and responses.
Ageism must be at the forefront of our collective attention toward achieving healthy lives for all people everywhere. Through this side event and our ongoing work with older people HelpAge International, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) commit to combating ageism.

KEY MESSAGES
Ageism is a major barrier to achieving healthy ageing and to implementation of the GSAP. Yet ageism can be challenged and attitudes, language and behaviour changed. All forms of age-based discrimination have a negative impact on the health and well-being of older people, for example:
● Services provided by health and social care systems, and during humanitarian crises, are often inadequate for older people and fail to respond to their complex health needs
● Discriminatory stereotypes and attitudes feed an assumption that older people will benefit less from health promotion and preventative strategies and therefore warrant less investment
● Older people are often not consulted in processes and service delivery. Their voices are not always heard, their skills are not utilised and their right to accessible and appropriate health care is not realised

WE CALL FOR ….
A multisectoral global campaign combatting ageism that aims to increase public knowledge and understanding of the social and economic implications of ageism for older people and society. On the occasion of the 69th World Health Assembly we call on Member States to:
● Endorse and commit to the implementation of the GSAP, including the commitment to adopt legislation against age-based discrimination
● Commit to the inclusive and equitable provision of health and social care services across the life course and in all contexts, including in humanitarian situations, informed by the collection of robust, age inclusive data
● Ensure older people are at the centre of efforts to tackle ageism and are encouraged to use