World Health Day 2012

Age Cymru is calling on the people of Wales to start to think about maintaining or enhancing their good health on Saturday 7 April - World Health Day.

The topic  of World Health Organisation (WHO) Day 2012 is Ageing and Health with the theme ‘Good health adds life to years'.

Age Cymru's Healthy Ageing Manager Claire Bottomley comments:

"Being healthy and having a healthy lifestyle adds life to your years and importantly these added years are good quality ones if you are well.

"A better, more healthy older age can be achieved by simple changes now to improve our health and wellbeing. 

"Eating healthily, taking regular exercise, keeping mentally active through continued learning, stopping smoking and cutting down on alcohol can all make a real difference.

"However it is important to remember that declining health is not an inevitable result of getting older and this is a message that will become increasingly important in years to come as Wales's population ages, especially as many of us will need to keep fit and healthy in the workplace up to our late 60s."

2012 is European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations.

Claire Bottomley comments:

"Having a healthy lifestyle can reap significant rewards as we get older and Age Cymru is glad that international awareness of this is being raised by World Health Day and the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.

"WHO day on 7 April is a day of awareness raising and celebration, encouraging people to be mindful of their health, wellbeing and levels of activity (both physical and mental) throughout the year and to look out for local opportunities/classes.

"I recommend that people check the Age Cymru website for updates on events  and information on health and wellbeing throughout the year."