Читать книгу Pathy's Principles and Practice of Geriatric Medicine - Группа авторов - Страница 97

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the population over age 60 will approximately double from 2015 to 2050, and 20% of the population will be over the age of 60.¹ The majority of these older adults will reside in low‐to‐middle income countries, providing global challenges to ensure older adults receive adequate access to healthcare and other resources necessary for successful ageing. The WHO is championing a global strategy and action plan to promote a healthy ageing environment for older adults worldwide. This action plan's goals include creating age‐friendly environments to support older adults in their communities, align national healthcare systems with the needs of an ageing population, and supporting research to measure, monitor, and understand the global ageing process.

In the United States, the number of adults over 65 grew 30% between 2010 and 2018, to 12.2 million people. Older adults now make up 16% of the total population, and this proportion is expected to grow, such that by 2050, one in every five people in the US will be 65 or older (www.census.gov).

Older adults in the US are also becoming more diverse. As of 2017, approximately 23% of adults over 65 belonged to racial and ethnic minorities, and this number is projected to increase to 34% by 2050.² This demographic shift is driven primarily by immigration, both by people who immigrated to the US at a young age and will remain here the rest of their lives and a smaller number who immigrated in older adulthood. Asians and Hispanics are expected to see the largest relative growth.³ See the section “Geographic considerations: migration and immigration” for more information about the older adult migrant experience.