Ten major global companies have
joined forces to launch the Global Coalition on Aging (GCA), a body
which aims to spur awareness about aging and work with policy
makers on the subject.
Of the founding members of the GCA,
insurers are represented by Dutch life insurer Aegon and US health
insurer Universal American Financial Corporation.
Other members include Deloitte,
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Intel, Pfizer and Novartis.
Aegon global head of sustainability
Marc van Weede said: “We believe the questions that have been asked
about aging are the wrong ones. Society has been so focused on
costs, on how to afford aging.
“But we believe that there are
other crucial questions to be answered: How can we use and transfer
knowledge; Can we enhance the workforce; What are the best ways to
achieve healthy aging?”
Underscoring the need for more
attention to be paid to ageing, the GCA points out that 450m people
worldwide will turn 65 over the next 20 years and that, by 2050,
those traditionally considered elderly will outnumber children for
the first time in history.