Case study Brazil
The percentage of people aged 65 and above in OECD countries is expected to rise to 25.1% in 2020, up from 17.8% in 2010, and 7.7% in 1950.
New Social Contract
Based on its annual and global retirement rediness survey and report, Aegon has called over the last two years for a New Social Contract for retirement to bring ensure retirement systems are sustainable in the 21st century.
One of the design features of the New Social Contract is a recommendation to Enable people to "age in place" (in their own homes) and live in vibrant communities designed for people of all ages to promote vitality and economic growth.
Some two-thirds of people (67 percent) globaly believe that it is "very" or "extremely" important to "age in place." For many, this may require having their homes retrofitted. Several of the changes suggested are relatively low-tech: bathroom modifications (40 percent), panic buttons (36 percent), and age-friendly furniture (36 percent).
Building an age-friendly community goes to the heart of how people age. For today's workers, the process of aging will be different than for previous generations. They will live longer than their parents and grandparents and will also experience increased healthcare costs associated with living longer. Additionally, with the increasingly mobile workforce, family may live far away. Healthcare models must fit with the lifestyles and expectations of both retirees and workers.
An age-friendly community must incorporate many aspects of the "built environment," or the environment in which people live and work. Features of an age-friendly community include accessible healthcare, appropriate housing, public transport systems or ride-sharing systems, access to internet-based services, shops and leisure facilities, and employment opportunities for people of all ages, including older people.
People recognize many of the essential features of an agefriendly community. Globally, affordable cost of living (61 percent) and access to excellent healthcare (59 percent) are the two most frequently cited features necessary to create an agefriendly community. Almost half of people globally (48 percent) highlight the need to create an age-friendly environment outside the home, while even more (54 percent) cite the need for age-friendly housing. These features are the centerpieces of an age-friendly community, representing just a few aspects of a much broader network of support and services that are required.
Graph
Brazil is aging rapidly and undergoing social change. From 1950
to 2015, life expectancy at birth increased from 50.8 to 74.6
years and the fertility rate declined from 6.1 to 1.7 children
per woman9
. The country also experienced a massive shift
from rural to urban areas. Socioeconomic diversities, low labor
productivity and a lack of coordination among different areas
of public administration make effective policies implementation
difficult. The scenario is more complex when it comes to aging
policies: a topic that has been low on the political agenda for
many years. The demographic changes experienced in Brazil are
irreversible. Public services for the elderly are poorly organized
and there is an urgent need to engage public managers on the
topic.
In its effort to pave the way for a more age-friendly society,
the Instituto de Longevidade Mongeral Aegon (Instituto),
in collaboration with the Brazilian business school FGVEAESP, developed an index that highlights the gaps in the
implementation of local policies for the elderly in Brazil. The
Urban Development Index for Longevity (IDL) was launched in
2017, inspired by the excellent work of the Milken Institute in
the US. Initially, the IDL gathers public data related to longevity
indicators from 498 cities throughout Brazil in key areas, such as
Healthcare, Well-being, Finances, Culture/ Engagement, Housing
and Work/Education. Results show no surprises: Brazilian cities
are poorly prepared for the elderly.
The IDL is the right starting point for a conversation about
creating more age-friendly communities. The Instituto partnered
with the Society for Design and Process Science and developed
the training course on Public Management for Longevity (GPL).
The program was designed around the results of the IDL and aims
to help public managers build transformative plans for cities. In
2018, with the support of the Human Rights Ministry, a total
of 47 public managers took part in the GPL training, conducted
by the Instituto10. During the event, participants discussed the
importance of having standardized and permanent indicators.
They also looked at new metrics related to longevity focusing
on other dimensions that have relevant impacts for how people
live in older age. Looking ahead, the Instituto plans to update
the IDL Index later in 2019 – covering 1,000 cities. Parallel to
this, studies are being conducted on how to improve the GPL
to see how offering online modules could provide both low-cost
implementation and larger reach