Indicators of Societal Adaptations to Ageing Well

A universal aim for ageing societies is that older people may remain healthy, be functionally independent, and be engaged in society. Various indicators with summary scores have been proposed, which may be used for international comparison or within country monitoring to guide ageing policy development and evaluate effectiveness of such policies. However, it is uncertain whether these indicators may be adapted to countries with different cultures and political systems. Simple indicators such as the Human Development Index may be misleading when compared to more detailed multi domain indices in reflecting the performance of ageing policies in a particular country, such as the Hong Kong Elder Quality of Life Index (EQOLHK). Construction of country specific indicators may be more relevant to shaping ageing policies rather than using indicators just for the sake of international ranking.