Abstract
The demographics of aging in the Americas are well known. The UnitedNations has published projections showing that by the middle of this century,Latin America and the Caribbean will have 112 persons 60 years and older forevery 100 persons 15 or under (1). North America will have 148 older personsfor every 100 persons 15 or younger. While those numbers are impressive, thephenomenon itself represents more than just numbers. Population aging has an impact in every dimension of life: the fami-ly, the economy, health services, and the general fabric of society. Longevityoffers families the gift of multiple exchanges among three and four genera-tions. At the same time, longevity challenges societies to adjust the cycle ofwork and retirement, and it impels institutions to make the necessary invest-ments so that social service agencies and health care providers have theknowledge and skills needed to offer vital assistance across the life course. Knowledge-based public health will need to rely on scientific knowl-edge that looks beyond child development and well-being of the young inorder to provide the foundations for maintaining quality of life and functionin old age. Planning for an aging society requires data on interrelated domainsof life in old age (health, work, income, social relations) in order to guide pub-lic health functions and services in meeting the needs of an older population. This special issue of the
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