This DataWatch discusses trends in functional health status among the elderly in several countries. Life expectancy at an advanced age has increased, and there is some evidence of lower prevalence of severe disability and a trend toward deinstitutionalization. These changes may result in fewer severely disabled persons, but the impact is less clear from the perspective of public finances, because of the increased need for formal home care and the relative subsidization of institutions. The implications for health care need further research but also may point to increased expenditures.
This report highlights the changing landscape of risk and crisis communications and in particular how social media can be a beneficial tool, but also create challenges for crisis managers. It explores different practices of risk and crisis communications experts related to the use of social media and proposes a framework for monitoring the development of practices among countries in the use of social media for risk and crisis communications. The three step process spans passive to dynamic use of social media, and provides governments a self-assessment tool to monitor and track progress in the uptake of effective use of social media by emergency services or crisis managers.
The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies.The OECD member countries are:
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