WUNRN
The new ageing paradigm: Why we need more data – Older Women
Asghar Zaidi
- 08 Jan 2015
We live in a society that would be unrecognisable to
visitors travelling in time from the early 20th century. They would notice the
technological wonders of this age, but may not notice something which we take
for granted: increasing numbers of us are living longer than ever before!
In most countries around the world life expectancy at
birth today is on average around 70 years, which has more than doubled since
the start of the 20th century. It is estimated that there are in excess of
10,000 people over 100 in the United Kingdom today; when they were born there
were only 100 centenarians.
Why should we take notice of our ageing
population?
One of the many aspects of longevity to celebrate is the
prospect of older people living active and engaged lives during this phase of
life. At the same time, we know that the process of ageing exposes older people
to vulnerabilities and, as a society, we have been slower in acknowledging and
responding to them.
Older people remain vulnerable in similar ways to
previous generations. If we don't redress our understanding of both the needs
and vulnerabilities of older people, the longer life will bring the risk of
breeding a wider range of social and economic vulnerabilities during old age.
Also, the stigma around ageing will become more embedded
if our understanding of the needs and potential of older people remains tied to
primitive, antiquated paradigms of ageing.
A new paradigm of active, healthy ageing
The paradigm that older people are dependent on family
and state is outmoded, and should be instead superseded by a new paradigm of
active and healthy ageing - simply for the fact that older people have the
potential to be active and productive much longer, provided they are supported
by an age-friendly society. The most important areas of support required are
the provision of decent levels of pension income, access to healthcare and
opportunities to remain active and engaged.
The importance of data and evidence
The availability and analysis of data on old age has
started to enhance our understanding of the lives of older people. A good
example of such analytical work is the Global AgeWatch Index, which I developed in close
collaboration with HelpAge.
Since its inaugural launch in October 2013, the Index has
provided comparative information on the wellbeing of older people across the
globe. The Index includes information in four areas to give a fuller picture of
wellbeing of older people by:
· Analysing
income security by looking at whether pension incomes are adequate and cover
enough people
· Measuring
health status by looking at life expectancy at age 60 and the psychological
well-being of older people
· Measuring
personal capabilities of older people by investigating education and the extent
to which older people are employed
· And
considering how far countries offer an enabling, age-friendly environment, for
example, can older people feel safe in their neighbourhood? Do they have access
to crucial public services?
Most critically, the evidence generated by the Index has
helped us identify the specific economic, health and environmental contexts in
which older people fare better.
It has also helped identify specific policy interventions
that are effective in reducing their vulnerabilities. For example, the
relatively high position of Latin American countries in the Index can be
attributed to a recent expansion of minimum social pensions in these countries.
Indepth analysis of four most populous
countries
But we still need more data on ageing! Further in-depth
analysis is required and the ESRC has recently awarded the University of
Southampton and HelpAge International a grant to collect more data over the next 18
months in the four of the most populous countries: China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The project will start in February 2015, and the evidence
generated will feed into high-level national and international debates about
ageing and human development. It will also support future versions of the
Global AgeWatch Index, strengthening its conceptual and empirical foundations.
I am the principal investigator for this 18-month long ESRC project.
The research will also investigate what additional
indicators can be computed from national datasets that provide further insights
into the measurement of older people's capabilities and vulnerabilities.
Moreover, it will shed further light on differentials
within these countries across subgroups. This includes those between women and
men, across different education and age groups, and across older people living
in urban and rural areas.
Using the data to engage stakeholders
This additional research will make a unique contribution
that will help promote scientific comparative research on issues of ageing and
older people.
It will also - through joint production of knowledge and
dissemination - achieve high levels of policy and practitioner impact, by
engaging experts and stakeholders and by communicating the results through web
and media at various stages of the project.