Healthy ageing and longevity

‘As individual life spans have increased, the years of unhealthy life have also increased. Very few countries have made significant progress to prepare financially, socially, and scientifically for longer and healthier life spans’. In his foreword, Victor Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), clearly describes we need to do much better in mitigating the challenges posed by the global ageing population. An independent international commission of experts was installed by the NAM to better understand these challenges and to identify effective solutions and recommendations for healthy ageing and longevity that can be applicable to diverse societies worldwide. The commission produced a roadmap of strategies related to social and behavioural enablers of health, healthcare and public health systems, and science and technology. Focusing on healthcare, the commission contends that a number of structures need to be established for healthcare systems to promote longevity, including: