Welcome to the beginning of the Decade of Healthy Aging! Currently interrupted by the global coronavirus pandemic.

A campaign by the World Health Organization (WHO), the plan is for “10 years of concerted, catalytic, sustained collaboration.” As more people live past the age of 60, there is little evidence that overall health outcomes have risen at the same rate. Inequities abound, and most, if not all, are tied into the intersectional inequalities with our societies are struggling – gender, class, race, sex and more.

As WHO says: “Healthy ageing can be a reality for all. This will require a shift in focus from considering healthy ageing as the absence of disease to fostering the functional ability that enables older people to be and to do what they value.

“Actions to improve healthy ageing will be needed at multiple levels and in multiple sectors to prevent disease, promote health, maintain intrinsic capacity and enable functional ability.”

There are many ways to get involved with the campaign, and some of the simplest methods may be local to you. We will provide updates from WHO here, as well as look to see ways in which our communities are responding to the call to better value, care for and include our aging populations.