August 2022
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Welcome back
This month’s featured highlight is from PAHO's Observatory on Health and Aging for the Americas and updates from the Region. See below for more information.
Observatory on Health and Aging for the Americas
As part of a new bi-monthly series, we will highlight data and visualizations available from the Observatory on Health and Aging for the Americas.
This month we look at: Are the life expectancy and healthy life expectancy gaps increasing over time?
This highlighted graph shows not only the significant gap that exists between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, but that discreetly and steadily, this gap has been widening from 1990- 2018. This is evidenced by the lack of convergence in the trajectories of the curves that represent both indicators.
There is a significant difference between men and women in the trajectory of the life expectancy and healthy life expectancy curves.
The first difference is in terms of level, with women having a longer life expectancy and healthy life expectancy than men throughout this period. However, the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for women is not only wider, but has widened more than for men.
Find out more and see the situation in your countries by clicking below to visit PAHO's Observatory on Health and Aging for the Americas.
Highlighted publications
Optimizing brain health across the life course: WHO position paper
Many determinants are known to affect brain health at different stages of life. The position paper provides a conceptual framework for what brain health is and how brain health can be optimized throughout life with actions across the following clusters of determinants: physical health, healthy environments, safety and security, learning and social connection, and access to quality services.
Bringing back sounds: prevention of hearing loss and auditory rehabilitation in the elderly
The objective of this article is to highlight the importance of hearing loss prevention, promote rehabilitation throughout the life course, especially in older people, and describe strategies put forth by the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization.
A research framework for the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030)
The purpose of this paper is to propose a roadmap for researchers across world regions to address this global challenge. The roadmap is framed specifically around the values, actions and outcomes embedded in the Decade Report and Action Plan and the knowledge that is needed to support them. It has a social science lens, informed by the main components of healthy aging: environments across life courses toward wellbeing.
Diabfrail LatAm
The project has successfully passed the interim evaluation just carried out by the European Commission. The European Commission has also confirmed that the project will be extended for at least 6 more months. The incorporation of two new working groups Requinoa in Chile and San Luis Potosí in Mexico, have helped in terms of recruitment and will help the project move toward the target number of subjects to be recruited.
Video spotlight:
See the dialogue between PAHO's Regional Advisor on Healthy Aging, Patricia Morsch, and Youth For Health Representative, Cianna Luna, on the theme of intergenerational solidarity.
See more videos related to healthy aging here:
Upcoming events:s:
Other information and past events:
Is dementia inevitable in old age? A discussion with Geriatric Specialists about the latest news on prevention, treatment and planning for long-term care
- 20 September 2022
- 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (EST)
Join the Association of Former WHO Staff Members (AFSM) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for a virtual webinar with world recognized Geriatric specialists of Bogota, Colombia. The panelists bring academic excellence, research, practice with older adults and numerous publications in the field of Aging and Memory as well as in the Care of Persons with Memory disorders. The Webinar will have simultaneous interpretation in both Spanish and English.
Multi-stakeholder meeting on human rights of older persons
This two-day meeting brought together key stakeholders for a discussion on the gaps and fragmentation in the protection of the human rights of older persons in the international human rights law and mechanisms. The meeting took stock of the progress made, assessed the remaining challenges, identified opportunities and developed concrete proposals to accelerate efforts to close the gaps in the existing human rights protection system for older persons.
Intergenerational dialogues on solidarity
The theme for this year's International Youth Day was Intergenerational Solidarity. PAHO's campaign included an intergenerational dialogue series on the need and the promotion for intergenerational solidarity and ageism. Click below to see the campaign and the videos.
Age-friendly cities and communities in the Americas
As of August 31st, there are a total of 825 age-friendly cities and communities in the Region of the Americas.
Our newest members include Chapinero, Colombia and Villa Purificación, Mexico. Welcome!
To learn more about age-friendly initiatives in the Region and worldwide, please visit the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities webpage.
