INTERACTION. On February 13–14, the Swedish presidency invited European Union member states and other stakeholders to a high-level meeting on active and autonomous ageing. Ingmar Skoog, a professor of psychiatry and director of the University of Gothenburg’s Centre for Ageing and Health (AgeCap), presented a highly appreciated opening lecture entitled 70 is the new 50.
The high-level meeting aimed to create a discussion on the way forward for Europe’s ageing population. There were about 100 attendees, including political representatives and senior officials from EU member states, representatives of the European Commission, interest groups, labor market groups, and researchers, including researchers from AgeCap at the University of Gothenburg.
Great impact
Shortly after the welcome address, Professor Ingmar Skoog spoke on the theme “70 is the new 50”, setting the tone for the meeting.
“I spoke about research from the H70 population-based studies, which show that older people are becoming healthier and living more active lives, and it was great to start the meeting with this positive message. It also had a big impact during the meeting, because many of the following speakers linked their remarks to my lecture,” says Skoog.
Dementia is both decreasing and increasing
Several research findings, based on H70 and other population studies, clearly show that age-related dementia is declining. In the 1980s about 30 percent of 85-year-olds developed dementia, a figure that has now declined to 22 or 23 percent. The proportion of older adults who need help with bathing, dressing, and other daily activities has also fallen sharply, from over 60 percent in the 1980s to 45 percent today.
At the same time, the population is becoming older. The post-war baby boomers are approaching 80 years of age, and they are also expected to live longer than any previous generation. This means that the number of cases of dementia will still increase.
A boom of older adults around the corner
In just seven years, the number of 80-year-olds in Sweden will increase from 550,000 today to 800,000. Other EU countries are seeing similar trends. By 2035 about 30 percent of the population in Italy and Spain is expected to be age 65 or older. Changing demographics have implications for pension systems and underscore the need to ensure that nursing staff and other geriatric care staff can meet future needs.
Ingmar Skoog believes the time has come for politicians to address elderly care and associated issues:
“Sweden has 290 municipalities responsible for geriatric care, from Bjurholm with fewer than 2,500 residents to Stockholm with almost one million. Such different conditions make it difficult to make changes in laws and establish new guidelines that will apply to everyone, but politicians need to start discussing how to solve these issues. The fact that AgeCap has been asked to open a high-level political meeting is a great honor for the University of Gothenburg, and it shows there is tremendous interest in the research we conduct and in elderly issues.”
New insights
The meeting was one of several high-level meetings held while Sweden held the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje hosted the meeting. Those attending included the Estonian Minister for Social Protection, the Danish Minister for Senior Citizens, and the Maltese Minister for Active Ageing.
Maria Edström, an associate professor in journalism and mass communication, also participated from AgeCap. She spoke about ageism, a concept that proved to be new to many in the audience during the high-level meeting.
BY: ELIN LINDSTRÖM
