Europeans are living longer, but can it last? European health report 2015 The latest European health report shows a Europe that has achieved striking successes and is on track to hit several targets, such as reducing premature mortality and setting further national targets for health. The report, which is the WHO Regional Office for Europe's analytical account of the health of the European Region and its progress towards the targets set by Health 2020, WHO's overarching health policy, also reveals...Read more

Promoting independence in old age The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published its first guideline for the social care sector to promote high-quality home care services for older people at a time when demand for such services is set to grow. Home care refers to practical support for people who need help to continue living in their own homes. During 2013-14, 470,000 people used home care funded by local authorities in England and almost 80 percent...Read more

Smoking was found to pose the biggest modifiable risk to sight loss Eye health experts today marked National Eye Health Week (21 – 27 September) with a warning that unhealthy lifestyles are fuelling an alarming increase in avoidable sight loss as a new study published in the journal Ophthalmology(1) reveals lifestyle factors increase the risk of sight loss regardless of a person’s genetic make-up. The research, led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, used healthy lifestyle scores based on...Read more