HelpAge International

HelpAge International is an international NGO that helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination, and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives.

Five organisations from Canada, Colombia, Kenya, India and the United Kingdom set up HelpAge International in 1983 to provide a network to support older people worldwide.

HelpAge International now has well over 100 affiliates^[1] and works with more than 200 other partners in more than 70 countries.

HelpAge works for and with older people by: lobbying governments to achieve policy change, undertaking research programmes, and via community projects on the ground. The organisations focuses on issues that affect older people worldwide, such as disaster risk reduction and climate change, rights, health, social protection, HIV and AIDS, and work. HelpAge also works in emergency responses, such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and the Earthquake in Nepal. HelpAge also campaigns around and influences the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

HelpAge's main campaign, Age Demands Action, is a unique, grassroots movement of older and younger activists across the world, who fight for a better and fairer world for older people. HelpAge is a part of other campaigning coalitions, most recently the action/2015 campaign. Action/2015 All Ages has seen direct support from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Bolivian Actress Erika Andia. Kenyan singer, Avril, together with John Katana (Them Mushrooms), John Nzenze, Teddy Kalanda Harrison, Dar Mjomba, Judith Bwire, and the Afro-Simba Band, recorded Hoja Zetu, especially for the campaign.

HelpAge International has offices in London and Brussels plus nine regional centres coordinating their work in Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, Eastern Europe/Central Asia, European Union, Latin America, London, Middle East, and South Asia.

Global AgeWatch Index

HelpAge's flagship product is the Global AgeWatch Index, launched in 2013, which ranks countries by how well their aging populations are faring. It is based on four domains that are key enablers of older people's wellbeing: income, health, capabilities, and enabling environments.

Measuring criteria

There are four domains measuring the index. Each domain has more detailed indicators.^[2]

1. Income security
   1. Pension income coverage
   2. Poverty rate in old age
   3. Relative welfare of older people
   4. GNI per capita
2. Health status
   1. Life expectancy at 60
   2. Healthy life expectancy at 60
   3. Psychological wellbeing
3. Capability
   1. Employment of older people
   2. Educational status of older people
4. Enabling environment
   1. Social connections
   2. Physical safety
   3. Civic freedom
   4. Access to public transport

Top 25 Global AgeWatch Index 2015

Global AgeWatch Index 2015^[2]

	Overall rank and value		Income security		Health status		Capability		Enabling environment
Country	Rank	Value	Rank	Value	Rank	Value	Rank	Value	Rank	Value
Switzerland	1	90.1	27	77.3	2	81.3	2	75.0	1	83.7
Norway	2	89.3	2	89.4	16	73.5	1	76.3	4	80.1
Sweden	3	84.4	7	83.5	12	75.2	5	65.6	6	79.4
Germany	4	84.3	15	80.9	11	75.6	3	68.4	11	78.6
Canada	5	84.0	10	82.9	4	80.3	10	61.2	9	78.9
Netherlands	6	83.0	5	85.9	13	74.8	12	59.6	5	79.6
Iceland	7	81.8	4	86.6	8	78.2	18	54.5	10	78.8
Japan	8	80.8	33	75.1	1	83.9	7	62.7	21	75.0
United States of America	9	79.3	29	76.3	25	70.1	4	65.7	17	76.8
United Kingdom	10	79.2	14	81.5	27	69.3	20	53.6	3	81.8
Denmark	11	78.6	16	80.9	33	68.1	11	59.9	14	77.7
New Zealand	12	76.0	23	78.4	9	77.8	14	57.8	30	71.5
Austria	13	74.4	6	84.3	19	72.7	40	37.6	2	82.7
Finland	14	72.7	17	80.3	21	70.8	29	44.8	18	76.1
Ireland	15	72.0	18	79.9	17	73.1	35	40.6	16	77.0
France	16	71.2	3	88.4	7	78.3	42	35.8	23	74.2
Australia	17	71.0	62	53.5	5	79.8	8	62.5	26	72.5
Israel	18	70.1	47	67.8	26	69.8	13	59.2	35	69.6
Luxembourg	19	69.5	1	89.7	10	76.6	53	31.0	19	76.1
Panama	20	67.7	40	72.4	31	68.7	16	56.4	48	66.4
Chile	21	66.3	43	70.8	14	74.4	22	49.5	49	66.0
Czech Republic	22	65.6	12	81.8	47	56.1	17	56.4	50	65.8
Estonia	23	64.9	44	70.7	55	50.0	6	64.8	39	68.1
Belgium	24	63.4	39	73.1	30	68.7	48	32.9	24	73.4
Spain	25	61.7	37	73.4	3	80.5	78	24.0	22	74.7

References

External links

• HelpAge International