Welcome to the

Age-friendly World Newsletter!

In this Newsletter:

• Winners Announced - Innovation@Home: A Global Competition and Call for Age-friendly Housing Practices

• Closing Soon: Survey for Decade on Healthy Ageing and country action (Deadline 31 October)

• Webinar Series by Alzheimer's Disease International: 'Let's Talk About Dementia Research' (21 November)

Winners Announced for Innovation@Home!

The desire to live safely and comfortably in our own homes and communities as we grow older is shared around the world, but making it happen is not always easy. To identify successful age-friendly housing innovations and encourage their dissemination, the WHO Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC), in collaboration with Grantmakers In Aging (GIA), launched Innovation@Home - a competition and call for international age-friendly housing practices. 

The winners of the contest were announced at the 2018 International Technical Meeting on Ageing at Home in Québec City, Canada. Edited submissions will be available on the WHO Global Database for Age-friendly Practices, where anyone can explore what communities all over the world are doing on their journey to become more age-friendly. 

The winners were:

• Aconchego Program (Porto City Hall and the Academic Federation of Porto - Porto, Portugal)

• No-Cost Building Permits (Age Friendly Sausalito - Sausalito, California, USA) 

• Home Refurbishment Program (La Diputació de Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain)

The judges also awarded one Honorable Mention to the CHORE Volunteer Handyman Service (Bergen Volunteers - Bergen County, New Jersey, USA).

For more information on Innovation@Home, visit the information page on Age-friendly World, or the GIA website. 

Closing Soon: 

Survey for Decade on Healthy Ageing

and country action

Please tell us through a short questionnaire what you think the Decade on Healthy Ageing should focus on and how best WHO can support country action.

In 2016, 194 Countries adopted, at the World Health Assembly, a Global strategy and action plan on ageing and health (2016 – 2030). Informed by the evidence in the World report on ageing and health and aligned with the SDG’s, the Strategy called for transformative change.

Member States envisioned that change to be a world where people can live long and healthy lives.  Governments realised that to achieve impact in countries we need a Decade of concerted action on Healthy Ageing. For WHO, Healthy Ageing is defined as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.

But how can WHO and external partners best support countries during the Decade?  

We believe that the best starting point for answering that question is to understand 1) the issues that are most important to you and 2) what types of support, assistance and exchanges between countries you want.

Your answers to this questionnaire will provide us with initial information that will inform the focus of the proposal for the Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021- 2030 as well as outline how WHO and external partners can effectively support country action. 

This short survey is available here: https://extranet.who.int/dataform/853821

Please respond by 31 October.

Français

En 2016, 194 pays ont adopté, à l’Assemblée mondiale de la Santé, une Stratégie et Plan d’action mondiaux sur le vieillissement et la santé (2016‑2030). S’appuyant sur les données présentées dans le Rapport sur le vieillissement et la santé et alignées sur les ODD, la Stratégie préconise des changements pour une transformation.

Les États Membres imaginaient ce changement comme celui d’un monde où chacun pourrait vivre longtemps et en bonne santé. Les gouvernements ont pris conscience du fait que pour obtenir un impact dans les pays, nous avons besoin d’une décennie d’action concertée sur le vieillissement en bonne santé. Pour l’OMS, le vieillissement en bonne santé est défini comme le processus de développement et de maintien des aptitudes fonctionnelles qui favorisent le bien-être pendant la vieillesse. 

Mais comment l’OMS et ses partenaires extérieurs peuvent-ils soutenir au mieux les pays pendant la Décennie ?

Nous estimons que le meilleur point de départ pour répondre à cette question est de saisir 1) quelles problématiques revêtent la plus grande importance pour vous et 2) quels types de soutien, d’assistance et d’échanges entre pays vous souhaitez obtenir. 

Vos réponses au présent questionnaire nous fourniront des informations initiales qui contribueront à définir le thème central de la proposition pour la Décennie pour le vieillissement en bonne santé 2021‑2030, et à présenter la façon dont l’OMS et ses partenaires extérieurs peuvent appuyer efficacement les actions nationales. 

Ce court sondage est disponible ici: https://extranet.who.int/dataform/853821

Veuillez répondre avant le 31 octobre.

Español

En el 2016 durante la Asamblea Mundial de la Salud, 194 países aceptaron la Estrategia y Plan de Acción Mundiales sobre el Envejecimiento y la Salud (2016-2030). Basada en evidencia e informada en el Informe Mundial sobre el envejecimiento y la salud la cual está alineada con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, la estrategia pedía un cambio transformativo.

Los Estados Miembros contemplaron un cambio hacia un mundo en el que la gente pudiera vivir una vida larga y saludable. Los gobiernos se dieron cuenta que para tener un impacto en los países necesitamos una década de acciones concertadas sobre el envejecimiento saludable. Para la OMS, el envejecimiento saludable se define como el proceso de desarrollo y mantenimiento de la capacidad funcional que permite el bienestar en edad avanzada.

Pero ¿Cómo puede la OMS y los socios externos apoyar a los países durante la década del envejecimiento saludable?

Nosotros creemos que la manera mejor para responder a esa pregunta es entender: 1) los temas que son más importantes para usted y
2) que tipos de apoyo, asistencia, e intercambios entre países usted desea.

Su respuesta a esta encuesta nos dará la información inicial que informara el enfoque de la propuesta para la Década de Envejecimiento Saludable 2021-2030, así como esbozar como las OMS y los socios externos pueden apoyar eficazmente la acción de los países. 

Esta breve encuesta está disponible aquí: https://extranet.who.int/dataform/853821

Por favor responde antes del 31 de octubre.

Webinar Series by Alzheimer's Disease International: 'Let's Talk About Dementia Research'

Alzheimer's Disease International are organising a global webinar series on dementia research. The first session is 'Let's Talk About Dementia Research: Demystifying Trials, Access and Understanding' which will be held on 21 November 2018 (13:00 - 14:30 GMT). 

The webinar series will engage the industry, clinicians, people living with dementia and their families, and other interested parties in an open dialogue and debate on dementia research. 

For more details about the series, please visit the Alzheimer's Disease International website, or register your interest here.

About us

Age-friendly World is a World Health Organization website dedicated to promoting age-friendliness around the world. The World Health Organization Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) is a global coalition of cities and communities committed to becoming more age-friendly. We currently consist of 720 member cities and communities in 39 countries, covering a population of over 210 million people. 

Submit your news on Age-friendly World or get in touch with us at gnafcc@who.int.

Disclaimer: The World Health Organization does not necessarily endorse the opinions presented in this newsletter which are external content or externally-linked.