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EU Corner: European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing
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In recent years, there has been increasing concern in the EU about the ageing of the population and how best to handle it. This is because the proportion of the European population older than 65 years of age is expected to increase by a massive 177% by 2050.
Obviously, this will put enormous strain on many sectors of society, with the health care sector being put under particular pressure.
At present, 46% of the total costs for injury-related hospital admissions are due to people older than 65 years of age. In this context, orthopaedic and trauma surgeons have an essential role to play in preserving or restoring the mobility of people.
What is being done to handle this situation effectively at the EU level? The European Commission created the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA) in 2011, which established a number of relevant Action Groups. They include Action Group A2 on Falls Prevention and Action Group A3 on Prevention of Functional Decline and Frailty, which are both relevant for the orthopaedic and traumatology community.
The EIP-AHA recently created a document that outlines the achievements of all Action Groups groups. Most successes were achieved in the area of dissemination of information, which was done through various means. More specifically Action Group A2 on Falls Prevention created a minimum falls dataset, which allows for stratifying and predicting the risk of falls.
This group has run an active communication campaign on the issue of preventing falls and disseminated information through publications, press releases and websites. EFORT has specifically been involved with Action Group 2 through an EU-funded project entitled ProFouND, which aims to influence policy and increase awareness of falls and innovative prevention programs among all sectors and organizations that work with older people. ProFouND’s objective is, in particular, to facilitate widespread implementation of evidence-based fall prevention programs for elderly people at risk of falls by using novel information and communication technology and effective training programs in at least 10 countries / 15 regions by the end of 2015.
Commenting on the project, Prof. Karl-Göran Thorngren said: “One fracture is more than enough! Falls and fractures can be prevented through regular strength and balance exercises, combined with optimized nutrition. This will bring more healthy and active years to your life!”
EFORT is committed to supporting the European Union’s objectives for elderly people to age well and live healthy, independent lives.
The 2016 EFORT Annual Congress in Geneva will address this major societal challenge.
- Info
- European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing
- 17th EFORT Congress, Geneva, Switzerland: 01–03 June 2016
- Main theme: Maintaining Activity Through Life