There is a need for the labour market to make it possible for older people to withdraw gradually from their occupational life, and for politicians to create and strengthen social support system structures to respond to this growing demand and to enable people to take more responsibility for their own lives. Up to now, the policy debate has focused narrowly on the financial and social burden of the ageing crisis. Little attention has been paid to how people can stay healthy also later in life, and how to enable older people to continue to contribute to society. It is this challenge that has inspired WHO to focus on healthy ageing. The WHO programme on healthy ageing recognizes that older people's participation in community life is of benefit to the whole of society.
Individuals can do much to remain active and healthy in later life.
The right lifestyle, involvement in family and society, and a supportive environment for older age all preserve well-being. The WHO programme on healthy ageing aims to work with all countries according to their cultures and social, legal and economic environments. It supports the development of policies that complement individual efforts towards active life in old age and that reduce the burden of age-related ill health, including its concomitant costs. The programme further aims to support effective policy development by raising public awareness of issues in ageing, collecting and disseminating evidence on good practice and developing partnerships that can test new approaches and advise WHO's Member States on their implementation. Older people make substantial contributions in unpaid work in such areas as agriculture and informal care giving and services.