Ageing people have the right to quality of life, meaning well-being, happiness and satisfaction with life.  

Active ageing is defined by the European Commission as ‘helping people stay in charge of their own lives for as long as possible as they age and, where possible, to contribute to the economy and society’.

Demographic changes in Europe make active ageing a topic of critical significance: low birth rates and rising life expectancy mean that the proportion of older people in Europe is increasing.
The European Commission estimates that the number of people over 65 years will grow from 17.4% to 29.5% of the total population between 2010 and 2060, and that the number of people over 80 years will nearly triple to 12% over the same period. The working age population in the EU is, however, expected to decline by 14.2% over that time and this will have a severe impact on welfare provision.
In particular, pensions, healthcare and long-term care systems risk becoming unsustainable, with a shrinking labour force no longer able to provide for the needs of the growing number of older people.

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The UN has proclaimed 2021–2030 to be the Decade of Healthy Ageing, aiming to "give everyone the opportunity to add life to years, wherever they live". It has 4 action areas:
1. combating ageism
2. creating age-friendly environments
3. providing integrated care
4. ensuring access to long-term care when we need it. ​

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The World Health Organization developed an ACTIVE AGEING model based on the optimisation of 4 key “pillars”: 

1. healthy ageing - developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.
2. lifelong learning for all at all ages
3. inclusion and active participation - as older people are an asset to the community, they need work, volunteer, entrepreneurial and civic participation opportunities
4. security - protection, safety and dignity of older people by addressing their social, financial and physical security

Healthy ageing is defined as developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.

Resources:

• Guiding Principles for Active Ageing, by the Social Protection Committee and the Employment Committee. 
• WHO Age-Friendly in Practice - here
• Active Ageing Index, The European Commission 
• 2012, the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.

See also: Age equality. Ageism

Best practice:

• PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTHY DIETS FOR HEALTHY AGEING IN THE WHO EUROPEAN REGION
  
• WISSENSDURSTIG.DE: A GERMAN ONLINE PORTAL TO PROMOTE LEARNING IN OLD AGE
• INTERGENERATIONAL MOBILITY DEVICE WINS FRENCH AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES AWARD
• OFFBEAT TEA PARTIES TO RECREATE SOCIAL BONDS AND HAVE FUN
• PORTUGUESE GRANDMAS ‘COME TO WORK’ TO HAVE FUN & BRIDGE GENERATIONS