Billionaires Invest $400 Million in Initiatives that Help the Weak & Vulnerable
US$400 Million for Healthy Aging and Elder Care
Ira Pastor, ideaXme’s ambassador for life sciences, interviews Shelley Lyford. She is the President and CEO of West Health and the Gary and Mary West Foundation.
Ira comments:
WHO says that the world is about to reach a major demographic milestone. Since recorded history began, children have always outnumbered older people. In approximately five years, people 65 and older will surpass children under the age of 5. Population aging is expected to continue and accelerate, due to the falling fertility rate and dramatic increase in life expectancy. According to projections, the number of seniors aged 65 and older will grow from 524 millions in 2010 to 1.5 billion by 2050. The majority of this increase is expected to occur in developing countries.
Key questions arise:
Will the aging of the population be associated with a longer period in good health, a sustained feeling of well-being and extended periods of productivity and social engagement, or more illness, disability and dependency?
How will the aging population affect social and health costs?
– Can we establish an infrastructure social and physical that could promote better health and well-being in older age.
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