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Population Ageing from a Global and Theoretical Perspective: European Lessons on Active Ageing

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Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Aging ((Int. Perspect. Aging))

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of both the social policy discourses which have been prompted by the unprecedented global ageing and the leading response made by policy makers called ‘active ageing’. The chapter begins with a global review of ageing which, of course, cannot comprehensively deal with all of the many variations in experience across the world. However the main trends are clear: a continuance of ageing in the more developed global north coupled with very rapid ageing in the less developed south. The new phenomenon of ageing before affluence is a characteristic of many less developed countries such as China. The chapter then discusses the main policy discourses, with primary reference to the European region, which is the oldest in the world in terms of the proportion of its population in the oldest age groups. Turning to the much debated concept of active ageing this chapter examines five key barriers to its achievement, including political, ideological, cultural and societal. Then the chapter considers how these barriers might be overcome. It is argued that a comprehensive strategy is required, rooted in clear and consistent principles. Seven such principles are outlined. Finally, the concluding section of the chapter poses a critical question: active ageing or age friendly? The Age Friendly City (AFC) initiative comes from the same WHO stable as active ageing but, too often in practice, ‘age friendly’ means ‘old age friendly’ not ‘ageing friendly’. This is a fundamental fault line that must be eradicated if AFCs are to be anything more than just at the service of special interests rather than the centrepiece of responses to the challenge of ageing.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note from the editors: the influence of healthy ageing is also discussed in the presentation of Kalache and in the chapter of Moulaert, Boudiny and Paris.

  2. 2.

    Note from the editors: The WHO (2002) Policy Framework on active ageing has therefore joined participation and security to its three pillars of active ageing next to the health dimension. In Age Friendly Cities developments, such multidimensional approach is illustrated by the 8 domains suggested to be taken into account by the Vancouver Protocol (for a detailed review on the Vancouver methodology and its implementation, see the chapter of Plouffe, Kalache and Voelcker).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TU, United Kingdom

    Alan Walker

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  1. Alan Walker
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  1. Université Catholique de Louvain, School of Public Health, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Thibauld Moulaert

  2. and Research Centre on Aging, School of Social Work and Research Centre on Aging, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada

    Suzanne Garon

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Walker, A. (2016). Population Ageing from a Global and Theoretical Perspective: European Lessons on Active Ageing. In: Moulaert, T., Garon, S. (eds) Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison. International Perspectives on Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24031-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24031-2_4

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