On September 27, 2023, The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) Alliance for Health Innovation and The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) convened for a roundtable discussion on cancer, innovation, and healthy aging. Experts on cancer treatment, health policy, aging, and patient voices explored the value of biomedical innovation, and the importance of both the availability and accessibility of innovative treatments, with a focus on oncology, as a prerequisite for healthy aging.

This policy brief highlights the themes that emerged from the roundtable discussion and provides key policy recommendations to ensure equitable access to future biomedical innovations and contribute to healthy aging for all that can be applied not only to oncology, but also the broader biomedical innovation ecosystem within the United States:

1. Advancing policies that enable patients access to utilize the best medicines for them as prescribed by their physician.
2. Removing disincentives for innovation in policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and optimizing the use of accelerated pathways for new drug development.
3. Supporting access to innovative treatments with a focus on improving equity in our healthcare system.
4. Embedding patient and caregiver input in policy decisions that define clinical benefit, their perception of value, and that which will impact access to medicines that they rely on.

The Global Coalition on Aging Alliance for Health Innovation brings together over 20 patient advocacy organizations, scientists, and policy specialists to establish awareness of the importance of innovation in achieving healthy aging through investments, policy reforms, and strategic partnerships – both for the value to patients and for health system sustainability.

Why an Age-Friendly City or Community Has to Address Osteoporosis

Good bone health improves strength and mobility for greater independence and increased wellbeing among older adults. A bone health program is a smart investment, ensuring that older adults can live happier and healthier lives in their communities.

The Global Coalition on Aging Bone Health Initiative’s new guide for age-friendly cities and communities provides an overview of challenge poor bone health presents for age-friendly cities and communities, why it’s critical to act to address bone health, and provides guidelines for age-friendly cities and communities to develop their own bone health programs.

On September 19th, 2023, the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA), the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK), and the International Longevity Centre USA (ILC-USA) convened a roundtable discussion alongside the 2023 UNGA High Level Meeting to discuss the essential role that life-course immunization should play in pandemic preparedness. 

The discussion brought together experts on healthy aging, pharmacology, drug and vaccine development, physicians, and policy experts to consider: 

• how investment into routine immunization across the life course can be encouraged, including for both care providers and recipients in long-term care settings 
• the role of routine immunization in healthy aging; 
• how capacity and infrastructure can be built to deliver vaccination and tackle inequalities of access; 
• and strategies and barriers to uptake, awareness, and implementation. 

This policy brief outlines three key recommendations that emerged from the expert discussion.

Held in New York City on December 6 and 7, 2023, Silver Economy Forum 2023: Aging For All Ages looked at the growing global Silver Economy through a multigenerational lens.  The 2023 Forum focused on the emerging awareness that information and action on aging – health, financial and lifestyle – brings incremental value the earlier in life it is pursued, leading to the most impactful benefits for people, societies, and governments.

Linking to the goals and aspirations of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, SEF 2023 highlighted key themes at the intersection of aging at every age and the Silver Economy, including a life course approach to disease prevention, health systems resilience, the multigenerational workforce and workplace, health equity, caregiving, digital technology, the value of biomedical innovation and the future of age-friendly communities.

Guest speakers included noted representatives from international organizations, leaders in business and government, scientists and academicians as well as civil servants that are leading developments at a grass-roots level. For more information and to see video from the sessions, please visit the Silver Economy Forum website.

Released in February 2024, in the lead up to the United Nations General Assembly 2024 High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in September, the 2024 AMR Preparedness Index Progress Report assesses how the eleven largest global economies have advanced on calls to action laid out in the 2021 AMR Preparedness Index.

The new 2024 Progress Report assesses the same eleven countries as the 2021 Index: Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). The 2021 Index examined over 100 metrics to evaluate and rank countries’ performance against AMR and establish benchmarks for policy action and leadership.

Across indicators, the 2024 Progress Report found that more needs to be done to put a firm halt to the spread of AMR, including the following points:

• Governments should invest further in national action plans, making bold investments in AMR countermeasures as a key element of health system resiliency.
• Governments should implement robust push and pull incentives to revitalize antibiotic innovation.
• Governments should make the availability of novel antimicrobials a national priority, ensuring access and affordability.
• Governments should invest further in infectious disease training for medical professionals and better incentivize specialization in infectious disease medicine.
• Governments should work to further strengthen and connect resistance and antimicrobial consumption surveillance systems, including by investing in diagnostics infrastructure.
• Governments should further support data collection on AMR in the environment.

Both the AMR Preparedness Index and the 2024 Progress Report were created in partnership with the Infectious Diseases Society of America and supported by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA). 

On October 12^th, 2023, the Global Coalition on Aging convened an expert roundtable that brought together healthcare providers, clinicians, patient representatives, and academics from Japan, the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom to discuss How to Better Support Older Adults and Their Families for Shared Decision-Making About Cancer Care. This discussion was prompted by recent policy changes in Japan that aim to improve cancer care for older adults through the integration of shared decision-making into the care system, but SDM is applicable across health systems worldwide.

SDM is the process by which medical providers, patients, and patients’ families come   together to develop mutually agreed upon, informed plans for cancer care. SDM can help healthcare systems better attend to the diverse needs of older cancer patients, leading to improved patient outcomes and healthier aging.

This report shares insights and key takeaways from the expert discussion, as well as recommendations on how to implement and expand upon SDM practices.

This new report from TIAA Institute sheds light on how Americans across demographic groups are making decisions about retirement, and what people’s attitudes and experiences today suggest for our nation’s financial future. The report examines big-picture decisions like when to retire and what to do in retirement, but also tactical decisions with significant implications—when to start saving, how to save and how much to save. This research informs efforts underway to address America’s retirement crisis and close equity gaps.

Key insights include:

• Two thirds of Americans are saving for retirement, but nearly one in four don’t know how much they have saved.
• Fewer than half of non-retirees are “very” or “somewhat” confident they will retire when intended. People ages 22-34 and Hispanic Americans tend to be least confident.
• 44% of households have less than $50,000 in liquid investable assets, and one in four Hispanic Americans, Black Americans and Native Americans have none.
• One in four Black Americans expect to pursue paid employment for income in retirement—that’s at least 10 percentage points higher than any other race or ethnicity.
• One in eight Americans could not come up with $2,000 to pay for an unexpected need.

On June 12, 2023, the Global Coalition on Aging organized a panel session at the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics Asia/Oceania Regional Congress 2023. The session brought together experts from aging and elder care, including from the World Health Organization, for a discussion on the importance of life course immunization and the need for health systems to shift towards a focus on prevention and the growing role for integrated person-centered care. This transformation of health systems, including a greater prioritization of life course immunization, could ensure better responsiveness, better quality of care, greater efficiency, and, ultimately, improved sustainability for health systems and support for health aging. 

This report shares insights and key takeaways from the expert discussion.

The IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science released a new report at the 2023 Silver Economy Forum, Trends in Global Adult Vaccination: A View from Five Global Cities. The report, which was created in collaboration with GCOA and funded by GSK, explores the role of social and structural determinants of health in adult vaccine access and uptake across five global cities with strong data about their aging populations: Bangkok, Thailand; Brussels, Belgium; Chicago, US; Manchester, United Kingdom; and New York City, US.

The data demonstrate that vaccine use varies substantially even within a single city and suggest that policies, such as improved access to pharmacies or other points of vaccination, should be implemented to drive equitable access to adult immunization. Key findings include:

• In both Brussels and Manchester, easier access to pharmacies and other points of vaccination was associated with higher vaccine uptake, with additional factors in Brussels including access to transport and reimbursements for vaccines.

• In Bangkok, adult vaccine use within a district is correlated with the number of vaccination points, such as hospitals and clinics, as well as with indicators of economic growth in the district.

• In both New York City and Chicago, household income, education and median house value are highly correlated with vaccination rates across all vaccines studied. Race and ethnicity also play an important role in uptake in both cities, with white populations more likely to be vaccinated.

According to the report, optimal use of adult vaccines can be potentially enhanced with a focus on tracking adult vaccination data regularly at national and sub-national levels, ensuring financial considerations do not impact vaccine uptake, increasing the number of vaccinators, ensuring that vaccine policies account for sub-city level differences in vaccine use, and providing the basis for a growing and robust market that has incentives for ongoing innovation.

After a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, people are often left with many questions: How will this effect my ability to control my own finances? Will I be able to keep my driver’s license? How will this affect me at work? Does the law protect or affect me? This GCOA report provides a look at the legal implications associated with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another dementia in each US state across a variety of areas, including financial management, guardianship, the justice system, genetic testing and access issues. The report also provides policy recommendations to better protect people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias across these topic areas. This report was made possible by GCOA member Eli Lilly & Company.

This GCOA report demonstrates the economic imperative for APEC economies to invest in healthy aging broadly, and adult immunization in particular, amid rapid population aging. The APEC region is at the leading edge of the global demographic shift, and programs that keep populations healthy, active, and productive – like adult immunization – are increasingly becoming a prerequisite for economic stability and growth.

Launched alongside the 2023 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, hosted in 2023 by the United States, the report highlights the dual connection between immunization and increased workforce participation and economic activity on one side and decreased healthcare system utilization and spending, on the other.

This paper provides background and data – including new research from the International Longevity Centre-Singapore, a Tsao Foundation initiative – underpinning the economic value and overall importance of routine immunization for older adults and suggests priorities for action among APEC economies:

1. Prioritize prevention for older adults, including through robust national immunization programs to increase vaccine uptake.
2. Invest in health education and awareness-raising for older adults and those they trust.
3. Integrate immunization programs into community-based programs, resources, and health systems.
4. Quantify the costs of vaccine-preventable diseases and the returns on investment in prevention and immunization to support evidence-based decisionmaking.

As the United States workforce ages – by 2060, the number of people aged 65 and
older will double – providing benefits that match an employee’s life stage becomes
increasingly important for employers trying to attract and retain talent. The needs
of employees differ greatly depending on their situation and life stage. The needs of
younger employees just entering the labor market are not the same as those of middleaged
employees juggling family and caregiving responsibilities or older employees
caring for a loved one.

As the needs of employees differ throughout their lives, so should employee benefits
throughout an employee’s career. Employers should consider structuring and adjusting
employee wellness offerings to attract and retain talent at different life stages. This
Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) and TIAA Institute policy brief provides an overview of
best practices for employee benefits in different life stages.

Post-fracture care through Fracture Liaison Services is the key to secondary fracture prevention.

On World Osteoporosis Day 2023, the Global Coalition on Aging’s Bone Health Initiative released “Improving Bone Health in the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing,” providing a snapshot of the importance of bone health to healthy aging and the need to implement effective intervention in the form of Fracture Liaison Services, a proven, integrated model of care which provides personalized care to help prevent secondary fractures.

The Bone Health Initiative calls on global and national policymakers, officials in age-friendly cities and communities, healthcare professionals, patient advocacy organizations, employers concerned about the health and employability of older employees, and other societal stakeholders to join us in advocating for the adaptation and prioritization of Fracture Liaison Services to prevent secondary fractures.

On June 6, 2023, Global Coalition on Aging Alliance for Health Innovation and Georgetown University convened a roundtable in Washington, D.C. on innovation and equity for healthy aging. During this roundtable, policymakers, experts, and patient advocates gathered to address innovation and its impact on health equity and healthy aging. This policy brief provides insights from the roundtable, including four policy principles that can guide future policy developments and highlight steps that policymakers can take to ensure everyone can access the innovations that allow people to live longer and healthier than ever:

1. Individuals should be at the center of our thinking when discussing healthcare innovations. We need to engage with individual patients in their communities to ensure they can access the healthcare services and support they need.
2. Medical innovation must be sufficiently valued and incentivized.
3. Medical innovation must be accompanied by process innovation across the healthcare ecosystem.
4. Better awareness is needed on the return on investment of innovation and the benefits of distributing funding for healthcare services to the communities and support programs where it’s most beneficial.

The Global Coalition on Aging Alliance for Health Innovation brings together over 20 patient advocacy organizations, scientists, and policy specialists to establish awareness of the importance of innovation in achieving healthy aging through investments, policy reforms, and strategic partnerships – both for the value to patients and for health system sustainability.

A July 2023 report from GSK, in collaboration with the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science and the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) examined the impact of the COVID pandemic on the uptake of adult vaccination around the world. The report estimated approximately 100 million fewer doses of some adult vaccines (excluding Covid-19 vaccines) were administered in 2021 and 2022 than anticipated, compounding already low adoption rates pre-pandemic. Data also showed that investment in adult vaccines represent less than 2% of total pharmaceutical spending in all regions. The analysis provides new evidence on why changes are needed, given existing data that show adult vaccine-preventable diseases are a major cause of morbidity, mortality and healthcare cost.

A June 2023 report from Bank of America and the AgingWell Hub at Georgetown University explored how Millennials and Gen Z are redefining “workplace wellness.” The report was based on a survey of attitudes and priorities among 1,032 working-age Gen Z and younger millennials (ages 24-35) as these young adults return to the office. The survey found that young adults are struggling financially  – only 52% are confident they can retire at an age they desire. The report also found that this segment of the workforce does not have strong loyalty to their current employer – 46% say they definitely or probably will look to change jobs in the next 12 months. The report concluded that employers need to be aggressive with progressive benefits to attract and retain younger adult employees. Top priorities for young adults are flexible work schedules, better-quality benefits, employer culture/values, childcare assistance. Interestingly, 73% of young adults want benefits that are portable.

In June 2023, GCOA released its report, “Healthy Aging in Practice: How Age-Friendly Cities & Communities Can Contribute to an Age-Friendly World,” following a roundtable held in New York City with Age Friendly Ireland, along with the United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UNDESA), the New York City Department for the Aging, and other stakeholders.

The report builds upon the discussion and a Twinning Agreement signed by Ireland and New York City, providing examples of age-friendly innovation in New York, Ireland, and around the world.

Key takeaways include:

• The value of bone health is underrecognized.
• Adult vaccination is a key part of a community’s healthy aging strategy.
• Age-friendly environments protect the health and wellbeing of older adults.
• Older adults must be included in community planning.

A June 2023 study by the AgingWell Hub at Georgetown University and the TIAA Institute finds many young people struggling financially: many live paycheck-to-paycheck, feel finances control their lives, and doubt they will do as well economically as their parents. This report examines attitudes and perceptions of young adults regarding global issues and their own financial future and highlights substantial differences across demographic lines. The report also provides recommendations to young adults, their employers, financial advisors, and society to help young adults secure their financial future.