Policies for Aging Populations: An International Perspective. 2002.

A review of the experiences of three nations-Finland, Australia and Japan-and the policies and programs they have developed to address issues related to aging populations.
By Susan Lilley
61 pages
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Description

Policies for Aging Populations is a review of the policies and programs developed in Finland, Australia and Japan to address issues related to their aging populations. The report examines the experience of these countries in developing and implementing policies regarding their older populations, and by so doing, the report sheds some light on opportunities relevant to the Canadian experience. Policy and decision makers in both Atlantic Canada and the country as a whole will find in this report a wide variety of specific examples of reforms to support an active aging population.

Section one provides an introduction to each of the three countries studied. It examines demographic trends and health and social systems in each country, and describes the inter-sectoral policy frameworks that have been developed to address population aging.

Section two, organized around the World Health Organization's Determinants of Active Aging, describes a myriad of nation-wide policies and programs in the areas of income, employment, life-long learning, housing, transportation, health promotion, caregiver support, and health and social services.

The concluding section highlights common elements of reform measures in Finland, Japan, and Australia, and discusses their implications for policy development in Canada and the Atlantic region.

The information contained in the report was obtained by means of a search of both academic and Internet-based literature on reforms related to population aging. Given the abundance of measures adopted in the three countries examined, only brief descriptions of each initiative are provided. An extensive bibliography points to on-line resources for further study.

Credits

Policies for Aging Populations: An International Perspective was produced by Susan Lilley for the Atlantic Regional Office of the Population and Public Health Branch, Health Canada. It was produced under the direction and guidance of the Atlantic Seniors Liaison Committee (ASLC), a regional body with representation from Health Canada and each of the four Atlantic provincial governments. ASLC members include:

• Linda Doody, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services
• Bonnie MacNeil, New Brunswick Department of Health and Community Services
• Betty McNab, Prince Edward Island Department of Health and Social Services
• Jane Oram, Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Regional Office, Health Canada
• Irene Rose, Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Regional Office, Health Canada
• Valerie White, Nova Scotia Senior Citizens' Secretariat

Availability

This publication is available for download in English (1472 KB) and French (1345 KB). You will require the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

For more information on obtaining copies of the document, call or write

Public Health Agency of Canada
Suite 1525, 15th Floor, Maritime Centre
1505 Barrington Street
Halifax, NS B3J 3Y6
Tel: (902) 426-2700
Fax: (902) 426-9689
E-mail: atlantic-atlantique@phac-aspc.gc.ca