In a few decades, the number of older persons in the Region will double. More government resources will need to be allocated for this segment of the population if their well-being and productivity are to be maintained. Government action requires consideration of health, housing, education, leisure, income, and social security needs of the elderly.
Three issues continue to emerge as major concerns in the Region: the increasing importance of nuclear families, the increasing urbanization of societies, and the growing number of women of older segments of the population. To address these trends, community-based care services will be needed to supplement the reduced capacity for care-giving by family members; employment and income support for the elderly will need to be augmented as urbanization further marginalizes them; and gender-sensitive programmes and services will need to be offered as more and more women live longer.