The United Nations NGO Committee on Ageing meets in New York City in late July. Its preparatory report, SGA Key messages HLPF 2018, reviews data about older adults, data gaps and challenges for older adults. Noteworthy statistics include:
- By 2050, the percentage of children under 15 will drop to 21% – that of older persons will almost double, to 22%.
- Over half the aging population, 289 million, lives in low- and middle-income countries, and is increasingly concentrated in urban areas.
- With regard to data gaps, data on women often has an age cap of 49. That data is often not collected, analyzed or reported across the life course.
Fifteen Smart Ageing Prize semifinalists have been named by Nesta and the Active and Assisted Living Programme for products and services that use innovative digital technologies to support older people to participate fully in social life. The prize proposes that supporting older people to participate fully in social life for longer will help them to remain active and healthy into later life. Reducing social isolation requires meaningful engagements and social experiences; the selection process identified technologies that act as a broker for stimulating social experiences that improve wellbeing. The judging panel included eight experts from across Europe. Semi-finalists include platforms that help older people participate in their community, digital solutions that provide new leisure opportunities or facilitate existing interests and products that use technology such as virtual reality to create shared experiences.
Massachusetts and its capital Boston have embraced the idea that older adults are a resource. Boston Seniority magazine shares highlights from Year 1 of the Age-Friendly Boston program and provides an up-close vision of changes that make a different in residents’ daily lives.
Published: July 17, 2018