Europe needs to step up its efforts to promote a healthy ageing population. This will help it to cope better with difficulties such as the shortage of caregivers, the OECD says in its latest annual report on health in the European Union and associated countries.
Life expectancy at age 65 today exceeds 20 years, but half of these years are impaired by chronic disease and disability, notes the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
This is particularly true for women, who live several years longer than men, but will live most of these extra years with health problems, notes the report.
Healthy ageing depends in particular on physical activity, which is not at its best in the EU for the over-65s, since only 22% of them have enough of it, according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.
Obesity rates - a risk factor for many chronic pathologies - are high in the EU, climbing to 20% for people over 65.
A general policy of healthy ageing would be all the more welcome as it could relieve health systems everywhere under pressure, notes the OECD. It could slow the growth of healthcare spending as a share of GDP over the coming decades and reduce the demand for healthcare and ageing support personnel, notes the report.
The shortage of personnel is well established, with 20 European countries reporting a shortage of doctors in 2022 and 2023, and 15 reporting a shortage of nurses, notes the report.
The experts also recommend optimizing the distribution of skills between caregivers, for example by developing advanced practice nurses.
