Advancing healthy aging.
Staying healthy and feeling your best is important at any age, and especially as we get older. Promoting healthy aging is about maximizing everyone’s ability to continue to do the things that matter to us as we get older.
Many of us fear that aging means an inevitable decline in our quality of life. But it does not have to be that way.
People around the world are living longer. By 2050 nearly one in five people in developing countries will be over the age of 60. Longer life expectancy is a cause for celebration, but this new reality also brings new challenges.
We’re committed to extending health in older age. People are living longer than ever before, and older people in good health continue to contribute to their families and communities. This makes entire communities more resilient to the threats of poverty.
From grassroots programming to national advocacy,
we work at all levels to strengthen health systems.
Communities
No other global organization is entirely devoted to helping the world’s most vulnerable older people. They’re often overlooked by governments and international organizations, and many have no financial security. From providing COVID-19 kits at the world’s largest refugee camp to preventing violence and abuse, HelpAge helps protect and empower older people.
Healthcare providers
We train healthcare workers to care for older people with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the general conditions that often accompany aging.
Government policy
We work with ministries of health to develop national health plans and training manuals for health workers. We also call for governments to adopt inclusive data collection practices and technical guidelines on NCDs and nutrition.
HelpAge Global Network Healthy Aging Projects
Strengthening healthcare in Africa
A key part of this is advocacy for policy and legislative changes that improve older people’s livelihoods and access to healthcare. One of the greatest policy successes was the adoption of the Zanzibar Universal Pension in Tanzania, which provides a pension to Zanzibaris over 70.
Providing healthcare to Syrian refugees
We’ve worked with Syrian refugees and host communities in Lebanon since 2013. Through support from the German government, World Diabetes Foundation, and UNOCHA, we provide healthcare to help older people manage NCDs like diabetes and cope with psychological distress. They receive medical consultations, lab tests, medication, and group counseling.
We work with a diverse range of partners, from local organizations such as Amel Association, AlHadatha, and the Imam Sadr Foundation, to international NGOs like Humanity and Inclusion. We also advocate for UN agencies, governments, and international NGOs to adopt inclusive practices in humanitarian programming, including data collection and analysis according to sex, age, and disability.
