It is one of the measures included in the area of active aging promotion policies. The partial reform, which was already on the horizon of the previous Government, could even move forward with the executive led by Luís Montenegro. To this end, a Statute for the Elderly will be created, covering a systematized set of rights, promoting active aging – which includes the study of mechanisms that allow partial reform, thus facilitating the transition are between active life and that of a pensioner.
The matter received the attention of the members of the Advisory Board of the Expresso Longevidade project, who met last week at the Impresa Building. Nuno Marques, director of the Action Plan for Active and Healthy Aging, was the one who gave the most emphasis to the topic: “It is a structural measure,†said the also cardiologist. But, so that the scenario does not repeat itself – with the fall of the previous Government, the executive led by António Costa, lost the legislative capacity to move forward with a measure that has crossed successive programs from different governments – “, it will be necessary to go beyond the time of the legislature.
This is precisely one of the ideas defended by demographer Maria João Valente Rosa, who speaks of the need for a “global strategy†: “a regime pact†. “The question [da longevidade] It is as important as climate change,†he said.
Invited to be present at this meeting, the new Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion, Clara Marques Mendes, recognizes that there is a lot of work to be done with regard to longevity. “It is a challenge facing society and we have to ensure that people live longer with quality of life, which requires us to work closely together in health, the social sector and the economy. That’s what we’re focused on,” he said in an interview, highlighting other fundamental aspects that are part of the aging process of the Portuguese population, such as home support and the need to allow older people to have proper care at home.
One of the important vectors in this matter is the informal caregiver statute, which the Government recognizes is very recent. Too much bureaucracy, the requirement for greater dialogue, monitoring and revisiting the statute appear to be major obstacles and barriers that the current executive will have to be able to overcome.
“We are doing work to give more longevity to people who live in Portugal. On the part of the General Directorate of Health, we are focusing on measures that cover the entire life cycle, whether we are babies or after the age of 65,” said the new Director-General of Health, Rita Sá Machado.
We look at occupational health issues, that is, if we focus on citizens who are By working healthier, we will also have greater productivity, thus contributing to the country’s economy,” added the director-general of Health.
Luís Jerónimo, director of the Equity Program at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, also insists on the issue of care. “I expect two fundamental issues from this Government: the integration of care, thinking once and for all about how we can bring the area of social support to the same solution in order to provide health services greater quality to people when they reach advanced ages.†To achieve this, he continued, it will be necessary to design policies for all ages, from early childhood, to issues of poverty, exclusion from education. “All of this will have a huge impact.â€
Asked about expectations regarding the new Government, Simon Gineste, general director of Novartis Portugal, responds with one word: implementation. “The diagnosis has been made for many years, the strategy is not complicated, but it takes time to implement. This is what I expect from this executive and the various entities. On the other hand, he reinforces, there is an economic opportunity associated with longevity. “Portugal has the capacity for research and to attract clinical trials.â€
Economic opportunity is a sensitive issue for longevity consultant and President of Age Friendly, Ana Sepúlveda. “There is a lack of an economic growth strategy based on longevity. We remain very attached to the concept of chronological age, the role of biomarkers, the fact that we are evaluated by biological age.†And it presents numbers that can help define growth policies based on longevity: in 2027 this industry will be worth 217 million dollars. In 2025, solutions and products linked to longevity will be worth 600 million dollars. When are we going to put this on the economic agenda?â€
