CR in HF: impact of frailty and mobility on proportion of inpatients eligible for CR referral at the point of discharge

Adding health to yearsFinancing long-term care: it always has a cost Care provision: outdated and fragmented Responding to the challenge of long-term careMoving towards an integrated system: a revolutionary agenda General principles of an integrated system of long-term care Enabling ageing in the right place Building workforce capacity and supporting caregivers Promoting integrated care through case management and broader collaboration Ensuring sustainable and equitable financing Changing mindsets about long-term care: a political and social challenge Conclusion Towards an age-friendly worldWhat works to maintain mobility in older age Abilities to build and maintain relationships What works to build and maintain relationships Ability to contribute What works in facilitating the ability to contribute The way forward 7. Next steps Introduction Key areas for action on Healthy Ageing Align health systems to the needs of the older populations they now serve Develop systems for providing long-term care Creating age-friendly environments Improve measurement, monitoring and understanding Conclusion Glossary Index v viiAt a time of unpredictable challenges for health, whether from a changing climate, emerging infectious diseases, or the next microbe that develops drug resistance, one trend is certain: the ageing of populations is rapidly accelerating worldwide.For the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their 60s and beyond.The consequences for health, health systems, their workforce and budgets are profound.The World report on ageing and health responds to these challenges by recommending equally profound changes in the way health policies for ageing populations are formulated and services are provided.As the foundation for its recommendations, the report looks at what the latest evidence has to say about the ageing process, noting that many common perceptions and assumptions about older people are based on outdated stereotypes.As the evidence shows, the loss of ability typically associated with ageing is only loosely related to a person's chronological age.There is no "typical" older person.The resulting diversity in the capacities and health needs of older people is not random, but rooted in events throughout the life course that can often be modified, underscoring the importance of a life-course approach.Though most older people will eventually experience multiple health problems, older age does not imply dependence.Moreover, contrary to common assumptions, ageing has far less influence on health care expenditures than other factors, including the high costs of new medical technologies.Guided by this evidence, the report aims to move the debate about the most appropriate public health response to population ageing into new -and much broader -territory.The overarching message is optimistic: with the right policies and services in place, population ageing can be viewed as a rich new opportunity for both individuals and societies.The resulting framework for taking public health action offers a menu of concrete steps that can be adapted for use in countries at all levels of economic development.In setting out this framework, the report emphasizes that healthy ageing is more than just the absence of disease.For most older people, the maintenance of Preface viii World report on ageing and health functional ability has the highest importance.The greatest costs to society are not the expenditures made to foster this functional ability, but the benefits that might be missed if we fail to make the appropriate adaptations and investments.The recommended societal approach to population ageing, which includes the goal of building an age-friendly world, requires a transformation of health systems away from disease-based curative models and towards the provision of integrated care that is centred on the needs of older people.The report's recommendations are anchored in the evidence, comprehensive, and forward-looking, yet eminently practical.Throughout, examples of experiences from different countries are used to illustrate how specific problems can be addressed through innovation solutions.Topics explored range from strategies to deliver comprehensive and person-centred services to older populations, to policies that enable older people to live in comfort and safety, to ways to correct the problems and injustices inherent in current systems for long-term care.In my view, the World report on ageing and health has the potential to transform the way policy-makers and service-providers perceive population ageingand plan to make the most of it.