Background and Focus

Ageing population is a relatively new issue from historical point of view as statistical evidence of ageing population (aged 65 and over) in 1950 was not greater than 11% for any country. In 2000, the highest in the world was 18% but the projections indicated a dramatic increase by the year 2050, when the old age population is expected to reach 38%. These projections point towards the rising needs of old age well-being in near future. The term Healthy Ageing is used broadly in policy circles and academics. It is basically used to recognize disease Free-State that differentiates between healthy and unhealthy older persons. It can be defined as a lifelong process enhancing opportunities for improving health and social, physical and mental well-being, quality of life, independence and improving effective life changes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) bases healthy ageing on functional perspective and life course changes. The WHO defines healthy ageing as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age”. Where, functional ability is related to health attributes that facilitate persons to be and to do what they have reason to value. Functional ability includes relevant environmental characteristics, intrinsic capacity of individuals and interaction between them. These characteristics include person’s ability to think, work, remember and grow, meet basic needs, build and maintain relationships and contribute to society. HelpAge used the Global Age Watch Index to rank 91 countries in terms of the best to live for older people. The index is based on the following four domains: income security, health status, employment and enabling environment.
Social Protection Resource Centre, a Think Tank dedicated to the Universalization of Social Protection in Pakistan has a dedicated Research and Development Programme on Old Age Well Being. As a part of the Programme, SPRC has started publishing State of Old Age Well Being Pakistan on annual basis. The Report is launched every year on the UN Day of Older Persons. The SPRC Old Age Well Being Report 2020 was launched on 1st October 2021 on the eve of the UN Day of Older Persons at Ramada Islamabad in collaboration with WHO, Pakistan Mission. With a view to benchmark and review the progress in the Old Age Well Being in Pakistan, SPRC in its Report has presented an indigenously developed Index of the Determinants of Healthy Ageing in Pakistan to help the policy makers and development channelise their efforts to the actual needs of the older persons in Pakistan. SPRC is presenting its Index to the scholarly community in a Webinar on March 31, 2020 for further refining the Index before it starts the national survey to present the Health Ageing Index of Pakistan 2021. This webinar is organized by SPRC and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) together with the inclusion of esteemed speakers from both sides.

Objectives of the Webinar

• To present SPRC Index of Determinants of Healthy Ageing in Pakistan for further refinement
• Evaluate the adequacy or otherwise of the current interventions in favour of the Older Persons in Pakistan in the light of SPRC Health Ageing Index of Pakistan