WHO calls for urgent transformation of care and support systems for older people
世卫组织呼吁紧急转变老年人护理和支持系统
On the UN International Day of Older Persons 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urgently calling for action to not only strengthen but transform the way countries provide care and support for older people, especially as we approach the halfway point of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).
在2024年联合国国际老年人日之际，世界卫生组织（世卫组织）紧急呼吁采取行动，不仅要加强，而且要改变各国为老年人提供护理和支持的方式，特别是在联合国健康老龄化十年（2021-2030年）即将过半之际。
“We all require support to care for ourselves at some point in our lives, but we are more likely to require care the longer we live,” said Dr Anshu Banerjee, Director of the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing. “However, evidence shows that care and support systems across the world are not yet prepared to meet the needs of older people.”
孕产妇、新生儿、儿童和青少年健康和老龄化部主任安舒·班纳吉(Anshu Banerjee)博士说：““我们在生命的某个阶段都需要外界的支持来照顾自己，但我们活得越久，就越有可能需要照顾”。“然而，有证据表明，世界各地的护理和支持系统尚未准备好满足老年人的需求。”
Dr Banerjee added, “The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing underscores that a radical shift is required in how we value and deliver care to foster healthy ageing – and WHO stands ready to support countries who are committed to make this shift.”
班纳吉博士补充道：“联合国健康老龄化十年强调，我们需要从根本上改变我们重视和提供护理以促进健康老龄化的方式，世卫组织随时准备支持致力于实现这一转变的国家。”
The International Day of Older Persons is commemorated every year by the global community on 1 October to both celebrate older people’s contributions to society and highlight the challenges older people face. The international day grows in relevance every year, as the world’s populations continue to live longer and rapidly age. By 2030, it is projected that 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. Furthermore, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income countries by 2050, making healthy ageing a truly global priority.
国际社会每年在10月1日纪念国际老年人日，既庆祝老年人对社会的贡献，也强调老年人面临的挑战。随着世界人口的寿命不断延长和迅速老龄化，这一国际日的意义每年都在增加。到2030年，预计全球六分之一的人口将达到或超过60岁。此外，到2050年，80%的老年人将生活在低收入和中等收入国家，使健康老龄化成为真正的全球优先事项。
This year’s theme is “Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide”. This theme underscores the critical role played by countries in providing health and long-term care services in maintaining the health and well-being that older people need to be and do what they value. According to WHO’s latest analyses:
今年的主题是“有尊严地变老：加强全世界老年人护理和支助系统的重要性”。这一主题强调了各国在提供保健和长期护理服务方面发挥的关键作用，以维持老年人需要的健康和福祉，并做他们重视的事情。根据世卫组织的最新分析：
People aged 60 years and above continue to experience unmet health care needs, whether they live in low-, middle-, or high-income countries.
60岁及以上的人仍有未得到满足的医疗保健需求，无论他们生活在低收入、中等收入还是高收入国家。
Around 2 in 3 people who reach older age are likely to require longer-term support and care from others to perform activities of daily living, such as eating, moving around, or bathing.
大约三分之二的老年人可能需要他人的长期支持和护理来进行日常生活活动，如吃饭、走动或洗澡。
Ageist stereotypes that incorrectly assume poor health is natural and unavoidable in later life prevent many older people from receiving the care they need. These stereotypes are commonly held by both care professionals and older people themselves.Despite these needs, there is still limited access to good quality, affordable and equitable care that supports us to make the most of our longer lives – no matter who we are, where we live, or how old we are. According to the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing progress report, 2021–2023:
年龄歧视的陈规定型观念错误地认为健康状况不佳是自然的，在晚年生活中是不可避免的，这使许多老年人无法得到所需的护理。这些刻板印象通常由护理专业人员和老年人自己持有。尽管有这些需求，但无论我们是谁、住在哪里或多大年纪，获得高质量、负担得起和公平的护理的机会仍然有限，无法支持我们充分利用更长的生命。根据《联合国2021-2023年健康老龄化十年进展报告》：
Only around 1 in 4 reporting countries have enough financial and political resources to implement integrated care responsive to older people’s needs, and only 1 in 3 have the same for long-term care.
只有大约四分之一的报告国拥有足够的财政和政治资源来实施满足老年人需求的综合护理，只有三分之一的国家拥有同样的长期护理。
Only 16% of low-income countries, which heavily rely on unpaid informal care, have a training programme for informal caregivers of older people.
在严重依赖无偿非正规护理的低收入国家中，只有16%有针对老年人非正规护理人员的培训方案。
Less than 60% of reporting countries include long-term care in their national competency framework for geriatric care workers.
不到60%的报告国将长期护理纳入其老年护理工作者国家能力框架。
The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing calls on countries to not only strengthen but transform the way we provide care and support by delivering person-centred, integrated care responsive to older people’s needs, and ensuring access to long-term care for those who need it. To do so, WHO recommends countries provide an integrated continuum of care, which:
联合国健康老龄化十年呼吁各国不仅要加强，而且要改变我们提供护理和支持的方式，提供以人为本、符合老年人需求的综合护理，并确保有需要者获得长期护理。为此，世卫组织建议各国提供综合连续护理，其中：
is person-centred, appropriate, affordable, and accessible, focusing above all on supporting every person to meet their needs and preferences and fulfil their goals;
以人为本、适当、负担得起和容易获得，首先侧重于支持每个人满足他们的需求和偏好并实现他们的目标；
integrates health services across disciplines and specialities to guarantee every person receives the full range of health care they need without getting lost between separate services and programmes;
整合跨学科和专业的保健服务，以保证每个人都能获得所需的全方位保健，而不是纠结于不同的服务和方案之间；
integrates health and social care, ensuring every person has seamless access to both short- and long-term care across clinical settings, care facilities, their local communities, and their homes;
整合健康和社会护理，确保每个人都能在临床环境、护理机构、当地社区和家中无缝获得短期和长期护理；
cares for the carers, valuing their contributions, providing adequate support, and ensuring equity – including for informal caregivers such as family carers, who are disproportionately women; and
关心照料者，重视他们的贡献，提供足够的支持，并确保公平——包括非正式照料者，如家庭照料者，他们的女性比例过高；
holds national governments accountable for providing care, in close collaboration with local governments, civil society organizations or the private sector, as appropriate.
要求国家政府酌情与地方政府、民间社会组织或私营部门密切合作，负责提供护理。
As the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing marks its halfway point in 2025, WHO is committed to supporting countries in responding to the UN Decade’s call for delivering person-centred, integrated care and ensuring access to long-term care for those who need it. Transforming our care and support systems to ensure an integrated continuum of care also enables us to better meet the needs of people of all ages, making it a good investment for everyone, everywhere – and an essential component of universal health coverage.
随着2025年联合国健康老龄化十年的过半，世卫组织致力于支持各国响应联合国十年的呼吁，提供以人为本的综合护理，并确保有需要的人获得长期护理。改革我们的护理和支持系统，确保提供综合连续的护理，还使我们能够更好地满足所有年龄段人群的需求，使其成为对所有地方的每个人的一项良好投资，并成为全民健康覆盖的重要组成部分。
The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) is a global collaboration called for by the Member States of WHO and the UN to improve the lives of older people, their families, and the communities in which they live. The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing has four action areas: combatting ageism, age-friendly environments, integrated care and long-term care. WHO acts as the Secretariat of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.
联合国健康老龄化十年（2021-2030）是世卫组织和联合国会员国呼吁的一项全球合作，旨在改善老年人、他们的家庭和他们生活的社区的生活。联合国健康老龄化十年有四个行动领域：打击年龄歧视、营造老年人友好型环境、综合护理和长期护理。世卫组织将持续监督联合国提出的健康老龄化十年的计划行动。
