Integrating Poverty and Gender into Health Programmes

This module is designed to improve the awareness, knowledge and skills of health professionals on poverty and gender concerns in the field of ageing. It is divided into six sections:

Section 1 provides an understanding of concepts related to ageing and of ageing as a social and development issue. Section 2 examines what the links are between poverty, gender and ageing. Section 3 discusses why it is important for health professionals to address poverty and gender issues in ageing from efficiency, equity and human rights perspectives. Section 4 discusses how health professionals and the health care system can address poverty and gender concerns in ageing. It covers the major health problems and conditions affecting older women and men, and their determinants; the accessibility, affordability and quality of health care services available to older women and men, especially those living in poverty in less-developed countries; and how to make health services accessible and sensitive to the needs of older people, with a special focus on low-income and other socially marginalized groups, and how to address differential needs by gender within these groups. Section 5 provides notes for facilitators and finally, section 6 is a collection of tools, resources and references to support health professionals in their work in this field.