- Global Index ranks SL high in the treatment of elders
- Surpasses other countries in the region in vital indicators
Sri Lanka has been ranked high on the list of countries in the world which takes good care of their older population, a new global index showed.
According to the Index that was released to coincide with the UN International Day for Older Persons, Sri Lanka performed best in the enabling environment domain placed 25th among 96 countries, with values above regional averages for three out of four indicators - social connectedness, safety, and civic freedom. Sri Lanka is the best country in South Asia for older people, according to the index.
The index measures how well 96 countries in the world are supporting their older populations of over age 60.
International's Global Age Watch Index ranks countries by how well their ageing populations are faring in four domains that are key to older people's wellbeing- income, health, employment and education, and their "enabling environment".
It ranks high on the capability domain at 32 with values well above the regional average for educational attainment among older people.
Sri Lanka is ranked at 54th in the health domain, with values below the regional average on only one indicator - psychological wellbeing.
"Age Demands Action campaigners in Sri Lanka are demanding policy changes such as separate hospital wards for older people and gerontology training for health workers," the HelpAge report states.
Elsewhere in the region, India ranked at 69th, Pakistan at 91st, Bangladesh at 59th and Nepal at 70th.
Norway is the best country for people over age 60 while Afghanistan is the worst.
From: Daily News http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/best-country-grow-old
