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Extract Population aging in the Asia-Pacific Region is a significant challenge for the 21st century. With countries in the Asia-Pacific aging faster than any region in the world, demographic transition and challenges associated with it have grown to utmost social, political, healthcare, and economic significance. Nearly 60 percent of the world’s population over 60 years of age reside in the Asia-Pacific region, which amounts to 630 million people (1). This population is projected to reach 1.3 billion by 2050 (1). In general, older adults exhibit higher prevalence of chronic conditions, comorbidities, and hospital admissions, which in turn elevate health care costs. Women comprise of over 60% of the older adult population in the Asia Pacific (2). Gender imbalance has implications for social support and health care systems, given that women typically have greater life expectancy and can face more years of potential disability. Given the traditional role of women as family caregivers in many societies in the region, older women could face greater pressure potentially impacting their health and wellbeing. Traditional models of health workforce development and service delivery are less likely to be effective in addressing the growing concerns if the focus remains centered on specialized and tertiary care. It is essential to strengthen primary and community-based models of care that caters to the growing needs of and are sensitive to cultural contexts, local challenges, and specific requirements of older adults.
Balasubramanian et al. (Wed,) studied this question.