Farrelly Colin
Department of Political Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2021 Jul 13;76(8):e92-e96. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glab027.
The World Health Organization designated the decade 2020-2030 as the "decade of healthy ageing." It is a tragic irony that the year 2020 should begin with a pandemic that is so lethal for older persons. Not only are older persons the most vulnerable to COVID-19 mortality, but many of the mitigation efforts to slow the spread of the virus have imposed yet further emotional and mental health burdens on the most vulnerable among those older than 70 years. To help prevent future infectious disease mortality and suffering, as well as the profound health burdens from the chronic diseases associated with ageing, insights from biogerontology must become an integral part of global public health priorities. The timing is ripe for making the public health aspiration of developing an applied gerontological intervention a reality.
世界卫生组织将2020年至2030年这十年指定为“健康老龄化十年”。具有悲剧讽刺意味的是，2020年始于一场对老年人如此致命的大流行病。老年人不仅是最易受新冠病毒死亡影响的群体，而且许多减缓病毒传播的缓解措施给70岁以上最脆弱群体带来了更多的情感和心理健康负担。为帮助预防未来的传染病死亡和痛苦，以及与老龄化相关的慢性病带来的沉重健康负担，生物老年学的见解必须成为全球公共卫生优先事项的一个组成部分。将制定应用老年学干预措施这一公共卫生愿望变为现实的时机已经成熟。
