Age-it program calls for Italian institute on ageing

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 14 - The objective to create an Italian institute on ageing to confront Italy's exceptional demographic challenges as part of a long-term strategy was launched at a congress - on the theme 'An Institute for the population's future' - organized by the health ministry on Tuesday to illustrate the data of the Age-it program, an unprecedented research in Europe on positive demography, prevention and active ageing that involved 10 working groups for as many areas of research.
    The meeting was attended, among others, by the deputy minister of labour and social policies, Maria Teresa Bellucci, and the health minister, Orazio Schillaci.
    "Creating an institute on ageing can contribute to confront great demographic challenges and their impact on healthcare, a responsibility for everyone", he said.
    Funded by the post-COVID National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Age-it was led by the University of Florence and its dean Alessandra Petrucci.
    "We wondered whether it was possible to start from a different perspective, seeing the ongoing transformation as an opportunity and not only as a negative scenario", said Petrucci.
    "We thought about building something that could be a national and international reference point".
    "If the elderly are considered as useless in a society of seniors, then we are surrendering to the idea that the country's future is useless", said Bellucci, stressing the demographic challenge "is on top of the government's agenda".
    According to data relased by national statistics agency ISTAT last month, Italy's population continued to age in 2023, so much so that it had almost six over-64s for every child under six.
    The ratio was 5.8 elderly people for every small child, up from 5.6 in 2022 and 3.8 in 2011.
    The national statistics agency said the average age of the population rose to 46.6 years in 2023, up by 0.2% on 2022.
    (ANSA).