WS 02 - Optimizing Health in Aging Societies

Below-replacement fertility and rising life expectancy--primarily due to survival improvements among people at advanced ages--lead to population aging in many parts of the world. This continuously increasing proportion of the elderly requires new strategies in virtually every field of public policy, probably most prominently for health care.

The Workshop seeks to provide a framework for potential pathways for health developments, starting with a presentation of recent research on mortality among the elderly.

The focus in the subsequent presentations and discussions of this workshop will be on populations that are at the forefront of aging: Japan, East Asia as well as the Nordic European countries.

What health trends can we observe and how are societies dealing with current and future challenges to health care are only two questions that will be addressed throughout the workshop.