Age-Friendly Standards Around ICT: The Challenge of Co-Production With Older People

Background

The global age profile-is increasing, with a predicted rise in those aged 60 and over from 12.3% in 2015 to 16% by 2030 (United Nations [UN], 2017a, p 3). Furthermore, the European age profile is increasing more rapidly - 25% of Europeans are aged over 60, projected to rise to 35% by 2050 (UN, 2017b), with the largest increase in those aged over 80 (Eurostats, 2020). These ageing profiles led the World Health Organization (WHO, 2007) to advocate moving “towards an age-friendly world…[that] helps people stay heathy and active even at the oldest ages”. This goal drives many current global and European policies, which should include a continuum of “affordable, accessible, high-quality and age-friendly health and social services that address the needs and rights of people as they age” (WHO, 2002) and the “process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age” (WHO, 2015).

As standards are highly influential and “major drivers of choice and change” (Ali-Vehmas, 2016), there is an increasing need for establishing age-friendly standards to support the development of effective products and services for ageing populations. This was recognized by the European Parliament that noted that demographic ageing requires “systematic incorporation of the needs of older persons in the development of standards to help achieve an active and ageing society” (EU, 2017, consideration 64).