Health policy in a context of demographic ageing.

Elderly-friendly principles: a programmatic priority?

Abstract

In 2004, the
World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the Age-Friendly Principles, in an attempt to
optimize care for the needs of the older population. This concept was part of the Portuguese
political agenda in 2017, and it is important to understand whether the national and regional
health and ageing programmatic documents follow this trend, defining strategies that
contribute to the provision of specialized, integrated and efficient care for the older population.
A content analysis was developed, using NVIVO, seeking to understand the priority
concerns, the relevance of ageing and the inclusion of the WHO Principles in the programmatic
documents. It was concluded that governance measures are the most prominent,
compared to long-term care (social). The programs address older people, although in a
smaller number than initially expected. The WHO Principles are explicitly referred to only
in the National Strategy for Active and Healthy Ageing. Such results highlight the need for
health policies to take on increased concern for the older population, integrating specific
responses to their needs, by the WHO Principles. No less important is the need for better
coordination and articulation of national and regional documents, where national proposals
are reflected in the different territorial contexts.