The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Older Persons is celebrated annually on October First to recognize the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives. The theme chosen in 2014: "Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All". In 2030, twenty per cent of the population will be more than sixty years old.
These shifts in the age pyramid represent major challenges for the AXA Group. In order to better protect its clients, AXA needs to better understand risks associated to the elderly. That is why the AXA Research Fund supports more than forty projects on longevity and age-related diseases, with a commitment of more than 16 million euros.
Discover some examples of funded projects:
- Carol Jagger - AXA Chair on Longevity and Healthy Active Life: 7 Disturbing Facts About Aging (in French)
- Miia Kivipelto - AXA Award on The Role of Lifestyle in cognitive and everyday functioning at older ages
- Ben Lehner - AXA Chair in Risk Predicting in Age-related Diseases
With life expectancy on the rise around the world, sociologists, economist and health experts are working on ways to improve our quality of life for longer. To find out more, watch the debate in which Adelina Comas-Herrerais, a research fellow at the London School of Economics supported by the AXA Research Fund, took part.