Dear Editor
The geriatric population is increasing day by day and as per 2019 data there were 46.8 million persons aged 65 or above in ASEAN countries and 703 million (UN 2019) in the whole world. According to World Population Prospects: the 2019 Revision, 1/6th of world population will be over age 65 by 2050. (1) Association of South East Asian Nations such as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam endorsed a “statement on active aging” to promote the older population’s quality of life and well-being in 2016. Southeastern Asia is overgrowing with a rate of aging population increasing from 9.8%, 13.7%, and 20.3% in 2017, 2030, and 2050, respectively. (2, 3) China has the largest elderly population in the world with 166 million, which corresponds to 11.9% of the country’s population.
This has further worsened in European countries with Portugal currently registering 182 elderly (aged 65 years and above) for every 100 young people (aged up to 14 years) and becoming the fastest aging country in the European Union (EU).
In order to maintain active aging, the WHO promoted the concept of creating an “age-friendly environment” that is accessible, equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive environments optimize opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance the quality of life as they age eventually. Various domains of the age-friendly environment associated with active aging based on WHO guidelines include urban spaces and built environment, housing, transportation, social participation, civic participation and employment, respect and social inclusion, access to community support and health services, and communication and information.
In ASEAN countries as compared to European countries, the recommendations of healthy lifestyles for prevention of memory decline may be a hard task due to limitation in financial insecurities and resource compromised conditions. However in developed countries, the advocacy for healthy life style modification may work more successfully. Hence there may be variation in number and quality of lifestyle to be modified as per geographical location and infrastructure to support social security for geriatric population. It is easier to motivate people with sufficient financial resources as compared to populations with lack of old age pension /financial securities.
According to recent inputs from the scientific world, a combination of healthy lifestyle choices such as eating well, regularly exercising, playing cards and socializing at least twice a week may help slow the rate of memory decline and reduce the risk of memory decline. All these lifestyles are tagged as healthy with respect to memory decline in aging populations. Hence an advocacy for regular exercise, reasonably balanced diet, playing cards and socializing may play wonder roles in resource compromised populations.
1. Nations U. World Population Ageing 2019 (ST/ESA/SER.A/444). Department of Economic and Social Affairs PD, editor. New York, USA 2020. 2020.
2. Dorling D. World population prospects at the UN: our numbers are not our problem? In The Struggle for Social Sustainability 2021; (pp. 129-154). Policy Press.
3. ASEAN. Asean Plus Three Statement on Active Ageing. 2016. Available online: https://asean.Org/asean-plus-three-statement-on-active-ageing/
ASEAN populations may face hardships with aging related memory decline