Challenges and Directions for Gerontological Research Beyond 2000

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Abstract
There is a world‐wide demographic revolution taking place. The population is ageing, causing us to rethink health, disease and ageing globally. New strategies must be developed to provide medical and social services for the increasing numbers of older people. In addition we are challenged to expand our knowledge of causes of morbidity and mortality and to explore new strategies to prevent excess disability and promote the health span of older people world‐wide. Increased effort in three promising areas of research will help us to reach this goal. These include research into reducing disability, increasing healthy life span, and conquering Alzheimer's disease. Although major scientific advances have been made, there is still much to be done to understand the major causes of disability and to develop and implement preventive strategies to decrease the incidence of excess disability. Promoting healthy life styles as well as understanding the biological bases of ageing and age‐related diseases hold the key to increasing healthy life span. Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of disability, and while our understanding of Alzheimer's disease is expanding, continued efforts are necessary to conquer this devastating disease. The demographic revolution has caused us to rethink health, disease and ageing globally. World‐wide, epidemiologists are predicting a shift in the disease burden from infectious diseases prevalent in the developing world (eg. respiratory and diarrheal diseases) to the chronic diseases of more developed societies (eg. ischaemic heart disease, depression and cerebrovascular disease). The ageing of the population world‐wide and the shift in the global burden of disease pose many challenges to research scientists, clinicians and policy makers. Not only will we need to develop new strategies to provide medical and social services for the increased numbers of older people, but we are also challenged to expand knowledge of the causes of morbidity and mortality among the old and to explore new strategies to prevent excess disability and promote the health span of people world‐wide.