Review of active ageing policy framework: future challenges

Distribution of the "Active Ageing: A Policy Framework" document from the World Health Organization, arising out of the Second World Assembly on Ageing (Madrid 2002), posed the global recognition of a long process of research, analysis, reflection and debate linked to the ageing of the population.  The document intended to respond to the challenges of an ageing society and to highlight the need to reformulate the model of Governance in most countries.

The paradigm of "Active Ageing," defined as the process in which opportunities for health, participation and safety are optimised in order to improve people's quality of life as they age (OMS 2002) has become the road map for multiple gerontology plans, social, cultural and health programmes, identifying, on the other hand, as the positive motto that modern societies wish to achieve. Dr. Alexandre Kalache is recognised worldwide as the leader of this important movement.

However, this paradigm has been put down at times as a trivial process, partnering initiatives that have a "positive" and "activist" approach and forgetting that the Paradigm's impact results from involvement, decision-making and the participation of the elderly in the its planning and development. It was not until the development of another project, also led by Dr. Kalache in 2005, Age Friendly Cities and Communities, in which older people are the leaders in a process that generates social wellbeing. The implementation of initiatives in the framework of friendliness has an impact in our daily lives, calling for a more rational recovery of public spaces, relationships between citizens, transfers of care, etc; in short, all those little things that make life in our towns, cities or countries more humane and satisfying.

We can say that this project is an attempt to operationalize the Active Ageing Paradigm, developing and implementing the theory on which it is based in the social area. This process of change and development of the proactive ageing movement has given way to a thorough review of the progress made so far. And since it could not be done in any other way, Dr. Alexandre Kalache is also starring in this new process.

This event will have the opportunity to become familiar with, through Dr. Kalache, the lessons learned from the development of Active Ageing Paradigm and the first results of its review, at a time when in the Basque Country, the Basque Strategy for active ageing is being designed. A strong network for ensuring that cities and towns build a "Euskadi Lagunkoia Sustraietatik" is being promoted by all public administrations and social networks.