Good health adds life to years
Exercise regularly from the earliest years through to older ages; walking, climbing stairs, housework or playing with children are effective forms of exercise!
Consume a balanced and diverse diet high in fibre and low in animal fat and salt. Reduce your weight if you are overweight and maintain normal body weight
Promote oral health and retain your natural teeth for as long as possible
Encourage and teach people how to care for themselves and each other as they get older to maintain independence and autonomy for the longest period of time possible
Stay involved in your family, your community, a club, or a
religious organization
Continue to educate yourself and all your children
Be aware of and speak out against ageism
Create age-friendly environments and policies to engage older men and women, and foster active and dignified ageing, allowing an older person to participate actively in family, community and political life - no matter what their level of functional ability.
Make public buildings accessible for all people with disabilities (e.g. ramps, railings, elevators).
Provide accessible and clean toilets in public places and workplaces
Provide green spaces, somewhere to rest, age-friendly pavements (e.g. non-slip surface and sufficient width to accommodate wheelchairs) and services in close proximity to residential areas
Prevent injuries by educating people about their causes, providing safe pedestrian crossings, making walking safe, implementing fall prevention programmes and providing safety advice
Make transportation accessible for all people with disabilities (e.g. low steps, clear signage, priority seating, proximity of public transport stops to residential areas, clear information on timetables)
Reduce risks for loneliness and social isolation by supporting community groups run by older people, traditional societies, self-help and mutual aid groups, peer and professional outreach programmes, neighbourhood visiting, telephone support programmes and family caregivers
Include older adults in the planning, implementation and evaluation of locally based health and social service and recreation programmes (e.g. local gathering places, cultural events, community recreation centres)
This means minimizing the consequences of noncommunicable, chronic diseases through early detection, prevention and quality care, and providing long-term and palliative care for those with advanced disease
Provide a seamless continuum of care that includes health promotion, disease prevention, the appropriate treatment of chronic diseases, the equitable provision of community support and dignified long-term and palliative care through all stages of life
Develop specialized gerontological services and improve coordination of their activities with primary health-care and social care services. Make effective screening services available and affordable to women and men as they age
Increase affordable access to essential safe medications among older people, including those who need them but cannot afford them
Put practices and policies in place to reduce inappropriate prescribing by health professionals and other health advisers. Inform and educate older persons about the wise use of medications.