Prof Alfred Chan speaks on “Population Ageing in the Asia-Pacific: Challenges and Lessons Learned to Move Forward with an Active Ageing Policy Framework”

22 Mar 2013

 
 

In his inaugural lecture today, Prof Alfred Chan Cheung-ming, Chair Professor of Social Gerontology and Director of Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies and the Office of Service-Learning at Lingnan University, reported policy directives initiated by key international organisations, including the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to explore the phenomenon of population ageing in the Asia-Pacific region, its challenges and lessons learned to move forward with an active ageing policy framework.  

Population ageing is an unprecedented phenomenon happening around the world. People are living longer and healthier because of the advancement in socio-economic conditions, yet they are imposing more problems on health and social care. Hong Kong had the highest life expectancy in 2012, where males are expected to live 82 years of life and females 86. Risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like smoking and unhealthy eating habits will emerge as the local economies thrive. Developing countries are expected to see at least a 60% increase in NCDs by 2020. Prevention of NCDs and maintaining a longer but active life has thus become an important issue for policy-makers.

Ageing working population
Prof Chan pointed out that one-third of the working population will be aged 45-64 in 40 years, hence the elderly could no longer be seen as “those without contribution” to society. Healthy and active senior citizens can be encouraged to participate in volunteer services and even policy-making in such areas as health care promotion in the community, lifelong learning through inter-generational platform, and the transfer of knowledge, experience and skills to the younger generations. 
 


Financial support for elderly services
Ageing seems more acute in the Asia-Pacific region because it is difficult for Asian-Pacific countries to levy heavy taxes to support high pension and elderly services as their Western counterparts do, there is little time to set up the infrastructure to meet the needs of ageing, and a wide income gap exists between urban and rural areas. Prof Chan believes that governments should allocate extra budget for primary healthcare services, including health promotion, disease prevention, management and diagnostics, medicine and home/community care. Governments should also invest in special health development projects such as early identification of diseases, self-care education for chronic disease patients and their families, as well as the prevention of senile dementia in the community. Elderly services should be provided on a need rather than right basis, and paid by those who can afford them. A means test should also be in place to provide a safety net for those in need.

Systematic and periodic training for elderly service workers
Nowadays most countries and regions do not have any systematic and periodic training for elderly service workers. Having a qualification framework in place may be a possible solution in view of the shortage of professional healthcare workers.

Prof Chan concluded his lecture by calling on governments to promote money-saving and healthy lifestyles from a younger age, in order to help people secure better prospects for the future.


About Prof Alfred Chan
Prof Chan has been both a practitioner in welfare services for the elderly and an academic in social gerontology. Starting his career as a nurse and later on as a social worker in serving the elderly, Prof Chan has extensive skills and knowledge in health and social care services and policy-making. His academic interests include the interpretation of intergenerational relationships, ageing and long-term care policies in the Asia-Pacific region, the development of health and social care measurements, Quality of Life and Caring Index. He is currently Director of Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies and Office of Service-Learning at Lingnan University.

Prof Chan sits on many government advisory bodies and is recently a consultant on ageing and social development issues for the United Nations Economics and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).