Join Us in Celebrating World Health Day 2012

Every year on April 7, health professionals around the globe celebrate World Health Day. And just like clockwork, the 2012 World Health Day is scheduled for this Saturday, and will be devoted to "Aging and Health."  This theme has the potential to be one of the most hard-hitting ones, as it focuses on something that affects everyone on Earth - no matter your age, gender, social status, or financial power.

Good Health Adds Life to Years

The slogan for this year's World Health Day, which is run by the World Health Organization (WHO), is "Good health adds life to years."  It will center around the ever-increasing age of populations across the globe, and how older men and women can continue to lead full, happy lives well into old age.  

However, there is one ominous message taken from this year's World Health Day: Life expectancy is continually rising in most countries, while birth rates are rapidly falling.  The WHO believes that in a single generation, we could be left with more “elderly” people than babies; and we must urgently find a way to make a smooth transition between demographics.  How will we be able to afford paying for everyone's healthcare for many more years than usual, when we can't even afford paying for everyone right now?  A huge focus will be placed on researching an innovative, sustainable way to take care of the rapidly aging population while still maintaining healthy birth rates.  
 
Then and Now

Just how long is everyone living, and is it that much of a difference than before?  Actually, it is. To give you an idea of just how far we have come in terms of life expectancy, a Chilean female in 1910 was expected to reach only 33 years of age.  Today, the life expectancy of a Chilean female is 82, even though only a century has passed.  The leaps and bounds we have made in medical technology and healthcare are largely responsible for the massive increase in life expectancy. And if the trend continues, we will have more people living into their 80s and 90s than ever before.  Over the course of 40 years, the World Health Organization expects the number of people aged 80 will quadruple to almost 400 million.
 
I guess we’re going to need bigger casinos and a lot more bingo sheets!
 
Aging Gracefully

World Health Day 2012 will have several other topics that will be touched on. One is the importance of Ancient Yoga, which will be promoted through “Yogathons” across the world in over 100 cities. Another topic covers why older people shouldn't be denied a job simply because of their age.  Many stereotypes will be aggressively pursued and countered, and if the WHO is successful in their campaign, they will enable the increasing elderly population to age with dignity and proper healthcare.