Switzerland best place in the world for older people to live

2015-09-09

(Press-News.org) UK enters top ten All regions of world represented in lower rankings Experts call for more age specific data about older people's lives

Switzerland is the best place in the world for older people to live, closely followed by Norway and Sweden, according to a new report from HelpAge International, working in partnership with the University of Southampton.

The Global AgeWatch Index assesses the social and economic wellbeing of the older population in 96 countries around the world. The Index represents 91 per cent of the world's population aged 60 and over, amounting to some 901 million people. It measures the lives of older people in four key areas: income; health; education and employment and the enabling environment.

The report highlights that:

Switzerland (1) tops the Index, alongside Norway (2), Sweden (3), Germany (4) and Canada (5). The UK (10) is also among the top 10 this year, along with USA (9).

Apart from Japan (8) all the top 10 countries are advanced countries in Western Europe and North America. Afghanistan (96) is ranked last.

Countries investing in improving the lives of older people are at the top of the Index. They are implementing policies which promote social pensions, universal healthcare and enabling physical and social environments for older people.

All the world's regions are represented in the lowest quarter, showing that improvements in lives of older people are required in countries across the world.

African countries make up half of those with low income security rankings and poor health results - requiring more research and policy interventions in this region than any other.

Greece (79), Venezuela (76) and Turkey (75) are in a similar position to sub-Saharan African and Asian countries.

Professor Asghar Zaidi, of the Centre for Research on Ageing at the University of Southampton, led the development of the Index, working alongside HelpAge International. He comments: "This Index is vital in representing the lives of older people in countries around the world as it enables us to compare not just their pension income and health but also the age friendly environments in which they live. The Index has also shown that a number of countries still lack vital statistics of older people and we would like to see them feature in the report in the future.

"The new post-2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals offer us a great opportunity to start building a better future for all ages by framing agendas and public policies over the next 15 years. If older people are to be truly represented in these goals, we need to see more data broken down by age and gender - to help us more effectively understand and address needs specific to this age group."

By the time the Sustainable Development Goals reach their fruition in 2030, the proportion of people aged 60 and over globally is predicted to rise to 16.5 per cent, up to three-quarters of whom will live in developing countries.

"The Index is a step on the road to people fulfilling their potential at every stage of life," said Toby Porter, Chief Executive of HelpAge International. "Today, in all countries of the world, the proportion of older people is growing. By 2050, 46 of the 96 countries in the Index will have 30 per cent or more of their populations aged 60 and over. We have just 35 years to prepare."

Further findings:

The Global AgeWatch Index 2015, also shows us that the gap in life expectancy at age 60 between countries at the top and bottom of the Index has widened from 5.7 years in 1990 to 7.3 years in 2012. People aged 60 in Japan have the highest life expectancy and live on average an additional 26 years, while people aged 60 in Afghanistan, live on average an additional 16 years. Average life expectancy at 60 across all featured countries is 21 years.

The combination of a lifetime of gender discrimination, combined with inequality in old age, can have a devastating effect on older women. Globally 46.8 per cent of women aged 55 to 64 are economically active, compared with 73.5 per cent of men. In addition, women usually earn less than men, so opportunities to save for later life are limited, increasing their risk of poverty in old age.

Poverty rates among older people also vary dramatically. The Republic of (South) Korea currently has the highest poverty rate among older people at 48.5 per cent, followed by Venezuela at 38 per cent, Australia at 33.4 per cent, Bolivia at 30.3 per cent and Honduras at 28.9 per cent, despite significant variations in Gross National Income per capita. At the other end of the spectrum countries with low old age poverty rates are equally varied. The poverty rate among older people in South Africa is 12.17 per cent, Mauritius, 6.4 per cent, India, 5.1 per cent, Lao People's Democratic Republic, 4.5 per cent, Czech Republic, 1.7 per cent and the lowest, Iceland at 1.6 per cent.

Evidence from the Global AgeWatch Index shows governments investing in population ageing, and that are planning for the future, are at the top of the Index. These countries score highly on all four domains. They are carrying out research, resourcing and implementing policies which support wellbeing i.e. social pensions, accessible health care, flexible working, life-long learning and creating an enabling environment for all ages. This approach, more common in high income countries, is also apparent in some middle-ranking countries such as Chile (21), Argentina (31) and Mauritius (42).

INFORMATION:

Download the Global AgeWatch Index 2015, case studies, photos and infographics: https://helpage.box.com/s/8az4hq1n1sm8ojanpku37p07mf8rltga

Notes for editors:

1) For interviews with Professor Asghar Zaidi from the University of Southampton, please contact Peter Franklin, Media Relations, University of Southampton - Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 5457 Email: p.franklin@southampton.ac.uk

2) For interviews with Toby Porter, Chief Executive of HelpAge International, and for case studies, please contact Sarah Gillam, Media Relations Manager at HelpAge International in London on Tel: +44 (0) 20 7148 7623. Mobile: + 44 (0) 7713 567 624 Email: sarah.gillam@helpage.org skype: sarah.gillam.hai (HelpAge) or Ed Knight, Media Intern, on Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7148 7606. Email: edward.knight@helpage.org skype: edward.knight.hai

3) For more information about the Index, please visit http://www.helpage.org/global-agewatch/

4) Global Age Watch Index ranking table:

Switzerland (1) Norway (2) Sweden (3) Germany (4) Canada (5) Netherlands (6) Iceland (7) Japan (8) United States (9) United Kingdom (10) Denmark (11) New Zealand (12) Austria (13) Finland (14) Ireland (15) France (16) Australia (17) Israel (18) Luxembourg (19) Panama (20) Chile (21) Czech Republic (22) Estonia (23) Belgium (24) Spain (25) Slovenia (26) Uruguay (27) Costa Rica (28) Georgia (29) Cyprus (30) Argentina (31) Poland (32) Mexico (33) Thailand (34) Latvia (35) Columbia (36) Italy (37) Portugal (38) Hungary (39) Slovakia (40) Vietnam (41) Mauritius (42) Armenia (43) Ecuador (44) Romania (45) Sri Lanka (46) Malta (47) Peru (48) Bulgaria (49) Philippines (50) Kyrgyzstan (51) China (52) Albania (53) El Salvador (54) Bolivia, Plurinational State of (55) Brazil (56) Nicaragua (57) Tajikistan (58) Guatemala (59) Korea, Republic of (60) Croatia (61) Dominican Republic (62) Lithuania (63) Belarus (64) Russian Federation (65) Serbia (66) Bangladesh (67) Montenegro (68) Paraguay (69) Nepal (70) India (71) Mongolia (72) Ukraine (73) Indonesia (74) Turkey (75) Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of (76) Moldova, Republic of (77) South Africa (78) Greece (79) Cambodia (80) Ghana (81) Honduras (82) Lao People's Democratic Republic (83) Morocco (84) Jordan (85) Nigeria (86) Iraq (87) Uganda (88) Rwanda (89) Zambia (90) Tanzania, United Republic of (91) Pakistan (92) West Bank & Gaza (93) Mozambique (94) Malawi (95) Afghanistan (96)

5) For more about the Centre for Research on Ageing in Social Sciences at University of Southampton, please visit: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/ageingcentre/index.page

6) Through world-leading research and enterprise activities, the University of Southampton connects with businesses to create real-world solutions to global issues. Through its educational offering, it works with partners around the world to offer relevant, flexible education, which trains students for jobs not even thought of. This connectivity is what sets Southampton apart from the rest; we make connections and change the world. http://www.southampton.ac.uk/ http://www.southampton.ac.uk/weareconnected #weareconnected

For further information contact:

Peter Franklin, Media Relations, University of Southampton, Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 5457, email: p.franklin@southampton.ac.uk

http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/

Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/unisouthampton

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/unisouthampton

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Southern California wildfires show split personalities

2015-09-08

Wildfires have ravaged regions of Southern California at an increasing rate over the past few decades, and scientists from three University of California campuses and partner institutions are predicting that by mid-century, a lot more will go up in flames. In research published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the scientists discuss the split-personality nature of Southern California wildfires. They describe two distinct wildfire regimes, those driven by offshore Santa Ana winds that kick up in the fall and non-Santa Ana fires that result primarily ...

Southern California wildfires exhibit split personalities

2015-09-08

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 8, 2015 - Wildfires have ravaged both populated and unpopulated regions of Southern California at an increasing rate over the past few decades, and scientists from three University of California campuses and partner institutions are predicting that by midcentury, as a consequence of climate change causing hotter and drier summers, a lot more will go up in flames. In a paper published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the scientists discuss the split-personality nature of Southern California wildfires. They describe two distinct ...

Freebies won't bribe most bloggers into positive reviews

2015-09-08

Bloggers may accept compensation and free products for reviews, but freebies do not necessarily lead to positive endorsements, according to a group of researchers. In a study, most technology bloggers who have accepted compensation, including free products, for reviews actually reported that they feel more empowered in their relationships with companies that pitched them products, rather than feeling indebted to them. "We were concerned with how accepting compensation or products impacted how control mutuality -- where both groups feel that they are winning from the ...

Artificial 'plants' could fuel the future

2015-09-08

Imagine creating artificial plants that make gasoline and natural gas using only sunlight. And imagine using those fuels to heat our homes or run our cars without adding any greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. By combining nanoscience and biology, researchers led by scientists at University of California, Berkeley, have taken a big step in that direction. Peidong Yang, a professor of chemistry at Berkeley and co-director of the school's Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute, leads a team that has created an artificial leaf that produces methane, the primary component of ...

Shouldering the burden of evolution

2015-09-08

As early humans increasingly left forests and utilized tools, they took an evolutionary step away from apes. But what this last common ancestor with apes looked like has remained unclear. A new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco shows that important clues lie in the shoulder. Humans split from our closest African ape relatives in the genus Pan - including chimpanzees and bonobos - 6 to 7 million years ago. Yet certain human traits resemble the more distantly related orangutan or even monkeys. This combination of characteristics calls into question whether the ...

Ozone can reduce a flower's scent that's critical for attracting pollinators

2015-09-08

New research shows that high levels of ozone, which are predicted to increase in the atmosphere in the future, can dampen the scents of flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. High ozone concentrations in ambient air caused fast degradation of the scent emitted from Brassica nigra flowers, reducing the range over which flowers could be identified by pollinators. Behavioral tests conducted with the buff-tailed bumblebee confirmed that ozone concentrations commonly occurring near large urban areas can strongly inhibit pollinators' attraction to flowers. ?"The ...

Drugs behave as predicted in computer model of key protein, enabling cancer drug discovery

2015-09-08

Drugs important in the battle against cancer responded the way they do in real life and behaved according to predictions when tested in a computer-generated model of one of the cell's key molecular pumps -- the protein P-glycoprotein, or P-gp. Biologists at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, developed the computer generated model to overcome the problem of relying on only static images for the structure of P-gp, said biologist John G. Wise, lead author on the journal article announcing the advancement. The new SMU model allows researchers to dock nearly any drug ...

As demand for African timber soars, birds pay the ultimate price

2015-09-08

Tropical forests are home to more of the world's terrestrial biodiversity than any other habitat, but are increasingly threatened by the impact of human activities. Illegal logging, in particular, poses a severe and increasing threat to tropical forests worldwide. But, until now, its impact on tropical wildlife has not been quantified. A new study co-authored by scientists at Drexel University, published in the most recent issue of Biological Conservation, reveals the devastating impact of illegal logging on bird communities in the understory layer of Ghana's Upper Guinea ...

Arthritis may be a major driver of poverty

2015-09-08

Developing arthritis increases the risk of falling into poverty, especially for women, new research shows. In a study of more than 4,000 Australian adults, females who developed arthritis were 51% more likely to fall into income poverty than nonarthritic women. In men, arthritis was linked with a 22% increased risk. Also, women with arthritis were 87% more likely to fall into "multidimensional poverty," which includes income, health, and education attainment, while the arthritis-related risk in men was 29%. The investigators noted that given the high prevalence of ...

New findings shed light on fundamental process of DNA repair

2015-09-08

Inside the trillions of cells that make up the human body, things are rarely silent. Molecules are constantly being made, moved, and modified--and during these processes, mistakes are sometimes made. Strands of DNA, for instance, can break for any number of reasons, such as exposure to UV radiation, or mechanical stress on the chromosomes into which our genetic material is packaged. To make sure cells stay alive and multiply properly, the body relies on a number of mechanisms to fix such damage. Although researchers have been studying DNA repair for decades, much remains ...

Amid record year for dengue infections, new study finds climate change responsible for 19% of today’s rising dengue burden

New study finds air pollution increases inflammation primarily in patients with heart disease

AI finds undiagnosed liver disease in early stages

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announce new research fellowship in malaria genomics in honor of professor Dominic Kwiatkowski

Research finds no significant negative impact of repealing a Depression-era law allowing companies to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage

[Press-News.org] Switzerland best place in the world for older people to live

Switzerland best place in the world for older people to live

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: