Ageing is one of the greatest social and economic challenges of the 21st century for European societies. According to the latest population projections, by 2070, those aged 65 and over will rise from 19% to 29%, while the share of those aged 80 and over will increase from 5% to 13% of the total population, which will be almost as large as the young population (aged 0-14) in that year.

Because older patients have different healthcare requirements, health systems will need to adapt so they can provide adequate care and remain financially sustainable.

In its position on an ageing society, EAHP

• calls on national governments and health system managers to acknowledge hospital pharmacists’ drug expertise by investing in medication reconciliation and optimisation roles in all healthcare facilities, including nursing homes, as a key part of the European level response to the increasing prevalence of polypharmacy.
• calls for strengthened inter-sector communication, coordination and multi-disciplinary collaboration as critical approaches to meeting the health system challenges of an ageing society
• strongly supports regulatory innovation to increase the participation of older patients with possible multi-morbidities in clinical trials.
• urges both governments and the EU to address the growing challenge of an ageing health workforce by investing in education, mobility and best practice sharing.

Read EAHP’s position paper on an ageing society HERE.