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Pan-American Health Organization
optimistic over advances in longevity
BY
JOAQUIN ORAMAS
THE
so-called third age is a priority for the
Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), says Dr.
Patricio Yépez, permanent representative for that
organization in Cuba, in an interview with Granma
International. He emphasizes that within the
region, there is much interest in supporting the
project to achieve a longer life with quality of
life.
Dr.
Yépez pointed to the accumulated experience and
knowledge of those referred to as older adults who
need more attention from the state and government.
In
Cuba, the third age group is 13-14% of the
population, which is quite high, as it is in
developed countries. That is why the initiative by
Cuba and the Caribbean Medical Association (AMECA)
to create the 120 Years’ Club has been very well
received since it was founded last year, he said.
“We
think that if we work on the lifestyle, living
conditions, work, and quality of life for this
population, it is virtually a stimulus being given
them with respect to knowledge and experience,” Dr.
Yépez said. “These possibilities of advancing
qualitatively to a chronological age with full
intellectual abilities and a higher physical ability
have an overall importance for this work.”
He
called the initiative very interesting, especially
if it gives people the opportunity for a new goal in
life.
The
aging of the population is a phenomenon of great
impact that has led some specialists to consider it
a crucial component of the current century. In that
context, Granma International asked Dr. Yépez
what the possibility is of reaching the age of 120
or more in the world’s current state.
The
PAHO representative observes that currently there
are many persons who have reached or passed the age
of 100. He explained that when his organization
celebrated 100 years of existence in 2002, its
director asked all the local offices to identify
people who had reached 100 years, a task currently
being completed.
As a
preview of the results, Dr. Yépez reports that there
is a sizeable number of people in various countries
who, while they have never been assessed, are fully
capable intellectually and physically. In fact, a
report is to be undertaken on how they reached that
age, which could provide a basis for making more
progress on reaching the age of 120.
A
scientific basis and current research is needed so
that the identification of those who reached 100 or
more in 2002 can constitute a study of the organic,
physical and environmental conditions that allowed
those individuals to reach that age, he commented.
The
interview turns to the longevity situation in Latin
America, where the percentage of the older
population is higher in certain countries, such as
Cuba, Uruguay and two or three others (among the
developed countries). Over the last 20 years, the
percentage of the population over 60 has
progressively increased, Dr. Yépez noted. He cited
studies done in some of the region’s cities and
countries aimed at gathering support for certain
initiatives so that this group’s living conditions
are the best possible. Studies on the situation of
people in the third age are underway in eight of the
region’s capitals, including Havana.
According to the PAHO, the region’s demographic
tendencies require immediate attention from the
public. While the United States and Canada together
have more than 50 million people over the age of 60,
that number reaches 42 million in Latin America and
the Caribbean, according to Dr. Yépez. By the year
2025, more than 14% of the Latin American and
Caribbean population of approximately 97 million
will be over 60.
Older people tend to be found more in the rural
areas than in the cities, and Dr. Yépez spoke in
favor of those living conditions. Those people have
tended to be involved in activities related to
agriculture and have a healthier diet that does not
include the junk food and others with artificial
ingredients found in the cities. They also enjoy a
less contaminated environment.
He
confirmed that the studies are being done to create
a scientific basis for attaining the best possible
lifestyle.
The
upcoming Caribbean Medical Association meeting in
May will hear results from the various studies and
will be an opportunity to discuss, together with our
experts, what kinds of forecasts can be made, Dr.
Yépez noted.
“It is possible to live to 120,” he concluded.
For more information:
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