White paper: The ticking time bomb: Ageing population

Poor health associated with ageing is the next epidemic, finds Aetna International’s white paper. It believes that targeted health and wellness education, and holistic support, is needed earlier to increase people’s healthspan – years free from disease – to match their increasing lifespan.

Key findings:

• As the population ages, health care systems must adapt. Otherwise, they will be overwhelmed by a “silver tsunami” of patients — and with facilities and services that are poorly matched to those patients’ needs.
• We all can play a role in creating a universal health system better structured to support healthy ageing, something even the youngest among us will one day need.
• Aetna International believes that insurance firms must shift from a focus on episodic, reactive care to continuous proactive care. Without this fundamental shift, they risk becoming obsolete in the face of the silver tsunami and the rising tide of noncommunicable diseases.

The white paper calls for more action from healthcare experts to build appropriate prevention, early intervention and care management models for individuals, and to increase access to quality community-based care. It argues that, without it, healthcare costs will continue to spiral.