Universal Health Coverage For All Ages

Governments around the world have committed to achieving universal health coverage.

Universal health coverage means that all people, at all ages, have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.

It is about human rights: Accelerating progress towards universal health coverage is not only an aspiration, but
a human rights imperative. Everyone has the right to life and the right to the highest attainable standard of physical
and mental health. Human rights don’t diminish with age, but they do require protection.

Promoting good health at all ages contributes to sustainable development across generations: Universal health coverage creates an enabling environment in which people can escape poverty and hunger, improve their prosperity and livelihoods through employment, and benefit from opportunities to access education.

It matters for the economy and society: Universal health coverage saves money for individuals and their families, the health sector and national economies.

Joseph, 71, Kenya

Joseph works as a freelance electrician. Since he joined his local Older People's Association he has “been so happy to meet other older people like me. We get to discuss a lot of issues involving us and we leave there very happy.”

Joseph takes part in prayers, exercise, and receives guidance. He also makes soap to sell, providing an additional income: “We have saved some money that when it gets to December, we share among ourselves ending the year happier.”

Joseph values being able to come together and talk about problems affecting older people, including how to keep healthy, eat nutritionally, and how to deal with abuse and neglect.

The group has made a significant difference to Joseph’s life: “What motivates me to keep going to these meetings is the unity we have in the group… We talk about things that help us live comfortable lives. We teach each other and everyone comes out of the group happy… What makes me want to go back to this older person group is that…we go there and get educated on a lot of things about our health and I come out of there healthy.”

Milka, 85, Kenya

Milka joined KARIKA in 2012. Kenyan Aged People Require Information, Knowledge and Advancement (KARIKA), is a charity that fights for the rights of older people in Kenya, and was funded by Age International and HelpAge to set up the Older People’s Association that Milka attends.

Milka appreciates connecting with her peers at the OPA, sharing ideas about how they used to live and fondly remembering their youth. They share meals, exercise and earn money together – she credits these activities with being able to “go home, relax and go to sleep”.

Milka received health support including arranging hospital appointments and physiotherapy for her leg and spinal cord injury which enabled her to walk with a stick again. She also received medical check-ups for her eyes including a cataract operation to restore her vision, which had a huge impact on her life: “I see a big difference in my life because if not for the help I got at KARIKA I would be still at home and I would be blind forever”.

Without KARIKA supporting OPA members to access medical care, Milka would have received no treatment at all, and been unable to support herself.

Older People's Associations

We work to establish and advocate for Older People's Associations (OPAs) around the world.

With HelpAge, we set up these self-help clubs where older people can access health check-ups, get advice on generating income, build social networks and find out information on their rights.

We bring older people together in clubs and groups, where they can meet people, stay physically active, and put their skills and experience to good use for the benefit of the wider community.

Older People's Associations can be comprised exclusively of older people, or open to all ages. They exist in various countries such as Kenya, Mozambique, Vietnam and Indonesia, and are delivered through both trained community workers and volunteers.

Older People's Associations are proven to improve the health outcomes of older people by providing them with information, resources, and opportunities to make decisions affecting their own lives.

Better health for older people in Kenya

Extracted from our new report, we've highlighted the experiences of older people we've supported in Kenya through our Better Health for Older People in Africa programme.

Read their stories now (PDF, 621 KB).

Recommendations for achieving Universal Health Coverage

Older people’s health is integral to the delivery of the UK's global health objectives. The UK Government has expressed its commitment to health coverage for everyone, but 'universal health coverage' is not universal if it does not respond to the health needs of people of all ages.

The UK is also signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals, a global agreement to eradicate extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice and 'leave no one behind' - including to 'ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages'. 

For the UK to meet its commitment to ‘leave no one behind’, its global health work must be inclusive to older people.

In our new report, we share key lessons and recommendations for how truly universal health coverage can be achieved.