Health Promotion Programs for the Elderly in Greece, the “Health Pro Elderly” Project

A Greek tragedy of our time? Institutional and financial dimension of Health Promotion for Older People in Greece

“…The life expectancy in Greece rose from 74.6 years for males and 79.4 for females in 1990 to 75.4 and 80.5 respectively in 2000 [5], and further on to 78.9 and 84.1 respectively in 2014/2015 (see Table II). Besides, in 2000, the population aged over 65 was only 16.6%, while in 2014/2015 it was already 20.9%.…”

“…Besides, in 2000, the population aged over 65 was only 16.6%, while in 2014/2015 it was already 20.9%. The estimations suggest that the share of older persons (65+) will reach 31.5% of the general population in 2050 [5]. The increased life expectancy, combined with the increased population ageing, has important implications.…”

“…They have the task to promote a healthy lifestyle among the members. Such centers are established throughout the entire country (more than 450 centers) and are very well accepted by the elderly persons [5]. The centers are managed and funded by the local authorities.…”

“…A national health promotion strategy should be developed and enforced at local levels. The health promotion programs that are successfully implemented, should receive the necessary government support to assure their long-term sustainability [5].…”

“…Although there is no national mechanism to identify good practices in Greece [3], several of the health promotion initiatives implemented in the KAPIs are recognized to be well designed and effectively implemented [3,5]:…”