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f we have to mention several significant examples of progress after 70 years of independence, we should include increased life expectancy. Indonesia is indeed among the nations that have made great progress in enhancing life expectancy over the last decade.

Indonesians nowadays can expect to live for 71 years on average, up from only 45 years in 1945 when we declared our independence. It is of course an important achievement but we also should foresee the consequences of an aging population in our country.

Additionally, Indonesia has contributed significantly to the accelerated growth of the elderly population worldwide. It is estimated that the country will experience an elderly population boom in the first two decades of the 21st century. Based on the 2010 Indonesian Population Census, the population of older people in Indonesia amounted to about 18 million.

Moreover, the UN has predicted that the percentage of Indonesians over 60 years old will reach 25 percent in 2050 '€” or nearly 74 million elderly people. Several provinces have a greater number of elderly people than the national average, and Yogyakarta has the nation'€™s largest elderly population.

Population aging should be seen as a direct result of successes in development programs such as nutrition, housing, health, family planning, cleaner drinking water and sanitation that are crucial in reducing serious infections and preventing deaths among children.

This phenomenon is commonly indicated by a declining birth rate and increased life expectancy, resulting in a situation where individuals aged 60 years and over are the fastest growing segment of the population. Moreover, the number of children is decreasing while the proportion of the productive population aged 15-59 years is increasing.

However, the rapid growth of the elderly population also poses various challenges, such as the increasing number of people who suffer from various degenerative diseases including hypertension, heart and coronary diseases, cancer, diabetes mellitus type 2, osteoporosis, Alzheimer'€™s and dementia.

These will affect the quality of life of elderly people and will increase the cost of their health care. The issue of inadequate health and care services, lack of welfare provisions and legal frameworks that often do not specifically address elderly people are among the problems that we face on daily basis.

In fact, although many elderly people lead healthy, happy and active lives, there are many others who experience low quality of life and are often regarded as burdens on their family. And we still have approximately 2.9 million elderly people who are being neglected and have limited access to health care and other social services.

As a result we should anticipate and adjust our policies and programs related to older people'€™s issues such as health care, social welfare, social security, employment, as well as investment, consumption and savings patterns.

A strategic part of anticipating the aging population is the need to design a population-responsive policy to answer the current population trend, by considering the unique nature and needs of the older population. Therefore, government and communities need to enact population-influencing policies to promote active aging to improve the wellbeing, health and participation of older people.

Additionally, population aging needs to be addressed by both the government and the general public. The role of researchers, activists and mass media is crucial in disseminating and advocating the issues associated with Indonesia'€™s aging trend.

Population aging can contribute positively to the nation'€™s development if we are prepared. Numerous studies indicate that countries that anticipate and harness the rich potential of an aging population may obtain a longevity benefit as older people usually have accumulated skills, experience and wisdom and actually can continue to make valuable contributions to the nation and society for longer periods.

Ultimately, countries that promote active aging will have a competitive advantage over those that do not. Both state and society should recognize the potential of older people and ensure them a life of dignity and justice.

The government has been initiating and implementing important policies and programs such as the National Action Plan for Ageing, the National Commission for the Elderly (Komnas Lansia) as well as numerous programs from the Health Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry.

Those policies and programs should be improved, better coordinated and scaled up to reach more elderly people, particularly the neglected ones.

Programs such as integrated health services posts for the elderly (Posyandu Lansia), with its creative and fun activities including health and nutrition counseling and gym for seniors, should be further developed and promoted. Several cities like Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and Makassar are now establishing and promoting this program.

Community participation is also emerging in the issue of population aging. This includes the initiative of several students from Hasanuddin University a few years ago to assist the local government and community in an area in Makassar to initiate a Posyandu Lansia which is still running today, with positive responses from residents.