人口老龄化

While Europe and Japan were among the first places to see their population ageing

the phenomenon is now occurring fastest in low and middle-income nations

and WHO says the most dramatic changes are taking place in countries such as Cuba,Iran and Mongolia

This means that where in the past infections were considered the greatest challenge

now even in the poorest countries the biggest health burdens for older people come from conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, dementia and sight and hearing loss

WHO says present health systems are poorly designed for the chronic care needs arising from this pattern of disease

The campaigning organisation HelpAge International welcomed the new focus on the impact of ageing

but the global community was still worryingly slow to act

HelpAge cited Ghana where it said HelpAge

nearly 60% of older people suffer from high blood pressure often leading to strokes

and heart attacks but only 5% are able to control it through medication.