Health promotion approaches for healthy aging

Health promotion targeted to older people differs significantly from that addressing younger generations. This partly stems from the fact that the health of older people is generally less than perfect. Seniors are more likely to be suffering from chronic conditions and multi-morbidities, and their functional capacity is frequently limited. This implies that the health promotion programs for the elderly have to account for these limitations in health and daily activities, and require more involvement of professional health promoters and more individualized approaches. The prevalence of certain lifestyle issues is also higher among the elderly. Elderly people are – for example – more likely to suffer from loneliness and social isolation. Also, because of their relatively shorter remaining life expectancy, the focus is more on health promotion activities that yield immediate effects. That is why health promotion programs for older people in European countries are mainly implemented at the local level by primary health care providers and nurses, and by NGOs, self-governing public authorities and voluntary organizations. These programs sometimes lack sustainable sources of funding.Content: Health promotion strategies for the elderly generally have three basic aims: maintaining and increasing functional capacity, maintaining or improving self-care, and stimulating one’s social network. The idea behind these strategies is to contribute to a longer, independent and self-sufficient quality of life. It should be noticed that there is an additional objective to be considered: the significance of social participation and integration of the elderly to maintain quality of life at old age. There is ample evidence to support the claim that social bonds and social activities, e. g. continuing professional work, learning activities later on, participation in cultural events and social work and maintaining a social network are essential for healthy aging. For this, health promotion focusses on the inclusion of seniors into the social activities in the community. These measures are not always formal and do not always need direct external financing but they frequently require an appropriate social and transport infrastructure.Conclusion: Focusing on successful aging and adopting Health Promotion Behaviors can prevent and decrease aging problems which in turn decreases the financial burden and related costs. This is especially important for the policy and decision makers of the health systems.