Population and Demography
The Challenging Roles of Informal Carers
Sep 2019
Working Paper
There are different approaches to responding to the growing long-term care needs of ageing populations across the UNECE region. Societies rely to a varying extent on the unpaid labour of informal carers who cover an estimated 70 tp 95 percent of all care needs. While informal unpaid care saves public spending on formal care services the reliance on informal care has many hidden costs. It not adequately supported in their role informal carers can face negative impacts on their health and well-being and be forced to reduce or quit employment - putting themselves at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The challenges associated with informal care not only affect carers themselves but society at large: intensive informal caregiving can result in higher demand and costs for health care as a consequence of its negative impact on the physical and mental health of carers reduced labour market participation and consequently higher risks of poverty and social exclusion.
Innovative Social Services and Supportive Measures for Independent Living in Advanced Age
Nov 2018
Working Paper
The rapid increase in the oldest-old population aged 80 and over brings with it critical challenges for individuals families communities and policymakers. Finding innovative and sustainable solutions to help individuals of advanced old age to continue living at home independently is critical in the context of both demographic change and budgetary constraints. Reaching advanced old age takes a different form for different individuals as their intrinsic capacity interacts with their living environment to affect their functional ability. Supporting such diversity in the experience of advanced old age requires smart integrated and customized innovations and result in resource efficiencies for the system of service provision.
Towards Community Long-term Care
Jul 2010
Working Paper
The population of countries in the UNECE region is ageing which is leading to the increase in the number of the oldest old — a group with a higher probability of becoming in need of long-term care. At the same time the number of those making up the working age population who will be able to provide care will decrease. UNECE member States have committed themselves to coping with this growing demand in care services while securing quality and choice for patients and their families. Financial sustainability of long-term care systems and a qualified work force are key elements in securing a high quality of long-term care and protecting human dignity in an ageing society.
Dignity and Non-discrimination for Persons With Dementia
Aug 2015
Working Paper
Dementia is becoming increasingly prevalent across the UNECE region. The disease entails a progressive loss of cognitive capacity and eventual disability which can result in deterioration of quality of life. Dementia has high social and financial costs affecting people with dementia and their caregivers. People living with dementia are often discriminated against: their dignity is challenged today by many factors including the retrenchment of welfare resources and the changing structure of families. The issue of dignity and non-discrimination of people with dementia has often been overlooked however due to their limited representation in public debates and the stronger focus of research and policy on issues such as welfare sustainability and the well-being of caregivers.
Active Ageing
Jun 2012
Working Paper
The way how persons age is determined by a variety of factors: biological pre-conditions social circumstances attitudes towards ageing and life-style. The manner how an individual person ages may contribute to how long a person will live and how fit a person might be in the late period of life. Current policies on ageing may perceive 'old age' as a status rather than the result of a process. Some ageing policies may be aimed at providing services within this status rather than at empowering older persons to live independently. Here a change of paradigm is needed. In order to gain the ability to remain active the individual needs to invest in this process throughout the life course. Appropriate societal structures incentives and awareness-raising would enable persons to live an active life-style as long as possible. Current societal and legal infrastructures may not fully provide those opportunities for active ageing.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Apr 2010
Working Paper
While people are living longer it is important to improve the quality of every stage of life. Therefore UNECE member States have committed to implement health policies ensuring that increased longevity is accompanied by the highest attainable standard of health1. In the coming years and decades the number of elderly people in the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will rise sharply challenging societies’ ability to care for those in need.
Cooperation on Ageing Policies in the UNECE Region
Nov 2011
Working Paper
Although ageing policies are often dealt with in the context of the national public policy agenda there is also a need for regional sub-regional and international cooperation on this topic as many issues do not end at national borders. Regional cooperation may be helpful as states of the same region often share similar cultural economic or political contexts.
Integration and Participation of Older Persons in Society
Nov 2009
Working Paper
Realizing a society for all ages is the declared goal of Governments in member States of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. To this end achieving the integration and participation of older persons in society are important elements. This policy brief outlines the main strategies that may be considered to increase participation of older persons in political and economic life and to improve their access to transport appropriate housing and cultural activities. It highlights the importance of balanced intergenerational relationships based on mutual respect. Efforts may be made to reduce ageism and to destigmatize old age. The potential of volunteering may also be used – both in support of older generations and by the older generations themselves.
Advancing Intergenerational Solidarity
Aug 2010
Working Paper
Demographic transition in Europe has led to changing household structure with a potential impact on the dynamic between generations. As a consequence of living longer and later childbearing most adults in Europe belong to a family network of three generations with which they share several decades together in a complex web of ties. The solidarity among generations is a key feature of the economic financial and social systems in Europe. However the rapidly changing demographic context particularly in combination with the demands of the recent economic crisis could create tensions among generations and represent a challenge to the existing solidarity and cooperation among people of different age groups.
Migration and Older Age
Jul 2016
Working Paper
The UNECE region is experiencing a steady increase in the number and diversity of retired labour migrants and migrant eldercare workers. The international mobility of older persons is also on the rise. Yet the participation of migrants in the host communities and their access to welfare remains a challenging issue. Compared to native-born peers older migrants are often more vulnerable to poor socio-economic and health status social isolation and exclusion. Lower income poorer working and housing conditions including their concentration in low-income neighbourhoods are among the factors affecting the life trajectories of many migrants. Migrant elder carers – independent of their age – often work informally without proper employment contracts and with limited access to health and social protection. There is however heterogeneity and variation in older migrants’ vulnerabilities and needs across and within ethnic groups with consequent important welfare implications which call for targeted policy responses at local national and international levels. A sound evidence base for such policy responses is lacking as older migrants are often overlooked in research mainly due to a lack of data.
Ensuring SDG Progress Amid Recurrent Crises
Jul 2022
Working Paper
SDG progress has been set back and the outlook faces uncertainty given the cumulative and amplified impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic the war in Ukraine and climate change. This brief examines the channels through which these three shocks are impacting the SDGs and their implications for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through recurrent crises. COVID-19 is estimated to have caused nearly 15 million deaths globally and brought the economy and people’s lives to a standstill for long periods in many parts of the world. The pandemic and the containment measures to control it significantly slowed economic growth increased unemployment raised poverty and hunger widened inequality and caused additional adverse impacts on women and children in many countries around the world. With uneven access to vaccines and treatments and the continuing emergence of new variants the pandemic continues to exert a malign influence on sustainable development.
Older Persons as Consumers
Nov 2009
Working Paper
In an ageing society one aim is to further enhance the social economic political and cultural participation of older persons. […] Older persons should therefore be recognized as a significant consumer group with shared and specific needs interests and preferences. Governments service providers and civil society should take into account the views of older persons on the design of products and delivery of services.
Images of Older Persons
Jan 2012
Working Paper
The economic and societal implications that result from demographic change may have an impact on how certain generations or age-groups are perceived by the majority of the population or community. Often older family members or neighbours are respected and well integrated members of their community. They also often dispose of a considerable knowledge experience and consumer power through life-long accumulated savings. Older persons are thus able to assist younger family members and their community with advice through gained experience. But in some cases older persons are faced with neglect and negative stereotypes. A displacement of older persons into segregated communities an undervaluing of their contributions to society and negative media portrayals contribute to a decrease in face-to-face contact with older persons foster the growth of a gap between generations and a general lack of empathy towards people of different age-groups.
On the Importance of Monitoring Inequality in Life Expectancy
Dec 2022
Working Paper
In recent decades all regions of the world have seen substantial progress in life expectancy at birth which was estimated to be at 72.8 years in 2019 compared with 64.2 years three decades ago. As importantly life expectancy has increased at all ages such that a person at age 65 in 2019 was likely to live 6.2 years longer than in the early 1950s (United Nations 2022). But life expectancy differs significantly across countries and within them. Inequalities in health and in life expectancy across countries have received attention from the international community which recognized that such inequalities are unfair and beyond an individual’s control. Assessing country-level inequality in life expectancy is therefore useful to examine whether outcomes in countries with high increases in life expectancy differ by their social and health policies. For instance reducing inequality in life expectancy across countries points to the role that health policies play in controlling a wide range of diseases responsible for disparities in child and maternal mortality.
Abuse of Older Persons
Oct 2013
Working Paper
Population ageing in UNECE member States has given rise to fears that abuse of older persons may increase in its incidence prevalence and complexity. Stereotypes may provide the breeding ground for abuse in society. Given the taboo attached to the topic abuse and neglect are often underreported. Older people may be silent for fear of exposing a family member losing services or being institutionalized. Therefore there is a lack of reliable internationally comparable data to evaluate the phenomenon.
Lifelong Learning
Mar 2010
Working Paper
Populations in the UNECE region are ageing rapidly. To maintain economic growth and standard of living people would need to work longer before they can retire. Regarding people who are currently in their working age demographic change may require to include those into the labour market who were previously not fully integrated such as early school leavers women and migrants. In a knowledge society this all requires a good standard of basic education as well as vocational training tertiary education information and communication technology (ICT) and language skills.
Caregiving in an Ageing World
Nov 2022
Working Paper
People in almost all countries are living longer. Globally babies born in 2022 are expected to live 71.7 years on average 25 years longer than those born in 1950. Rapidly ageing populations have increasing health and long-term care needs. As the forthcoming World Social Report 2023 discusses however today’s care and support systems for older persons are insufficient requiring greater policy attention. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed existing weaknesses across countries in approaches to long-term care and showed how these weaknesses can aggravate inequalities. Poor quality and underfunded care facilities insufficient provisions for care at home low wages and precarious working conditions for paid care workers all contributed to increasing the already significant threat of Covid-19 for older persons (United Nations 2020). The speed of change and the scale of the crisis have strengthened the call for fundamental reform of approaches to long-term care. Failure to do so will harm today’s older persons and those who care for them as well as future generations of older persons.
Age-friendly Employment: Policies and Practices
Jan 2011
Working Paper
In many UNECE countries the average actual retirement age is below the statutory retirement age which means that the labour market is losing a great deal of resources in terms of experience and labour capacity of older workers. Ageing societies however cannot afford to lose the highly valuable resource of older workers. If there are people aged 55 years or older who want to work but cannot due to unfavourable conditions in the labour market UNECE member States may wish to address this issue.
Realizing the Potential of Living Longer
Sep 2017
Working Paper
Policy responses to population ageing to date have primarily focused on adapting welfare systems to the challenges of demographic change. Much less attention is being paid to the opportunities and potentials that living longer holds for individuals economies and society at large and to tackling the barriers that currently hinder their full realization. Perceiving longevity mainly as a fiscal pressure and an obstacle to economic growth may trigger reforms that result in rising inequalities. This can occur when the cumulative disadvantages stemming from difficulties in transitions over the life course ill health and disability and unpaid caregiving are insufficiently addressed. It also feeds into age-based stereotypes and negative attitudes towards older people. To change this it is essential to better recognize the potentials of ageing societies and to enable people to live active and fulfilling lives as they age.
Combating Ageism in the World of Work
Feb 2019
Working Paper
Ageism is the stereotyping prejudice and discrimination against people based on their age. Many older workers face ageism when looking for new jobs training opportunities and career development or are pushed to leave into early retirement in times of economic recession. Ageism in the labour market is costly to businesses who do not make the most of their ageing workforce. At the individual level ageism has been shown to negatively affect health and well-being. The complexity and intersectionality of the phenomenon needs to be addressed now. Deeply rooted stereotypes prejudices and discriminatory practices take time to change. Combating ageism in the world of work requires removing ageist provisions in the legal and regulatory framework addressing prejudice and negative stereotypes about older workers and encouraging age-inclusive and age-diverse workplaces that offer equal opportunities for all generations.
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