The MOPACT Forum was held in Brussels in May and presented the first results of this wide-angle research project on longer and healthy lives. The project brings together 29 partners and is divided in sub-groups looking different dimensions of longevity: the economic and financial consequences of ageing; societal structures, civil society and cohesion; social support, long-term care and quality of life; the built and technological environment; health and well-being, biogerontology and frailty. AGE is partner in the steering group of this project running from 2012 until 2016.
The projects wide angle and multidisciplinary organisation gives room for lively exchanges on different topics studied. The project looks, for example, at trends in morbidity and disability as well as the recomposition of family structures. The economic consequences are studied both from an angle of demography and from a more individual perspective, trying to evaluate how society’s consumption and preferences might change with longer lives. It also analyses how companies and societies can adapt to allow longer working lives and the impact of demographic and economic changes on pension systems, social support and long-term care. Also, the engagement and political preferences of older people are looked into in order to find solutions to increase political participation of older people. The work stream on biogerontology looks at the measures that can be introduced already at mid-age to allow for a longer, healthy life.
The first results of the project were presented in plenary sessions, while round tables were focussing on the more specific challenges to the different research areas.
Presentations are available on MOPACT’s project website
For more information, please contact Alice Sinigaglia, alice.sinigaglia@age-platform.eu