Mapping of Elderly’s Health in Greenland

An extensive research investigation on Greenland has mapped the physical and mental health in aging Greenlanders, according to Sermitsiaq.

The report builds on five different surveys as well as field work in all municipalities.

The mapping shows that loneliness is twice as common on the countryside as in towns. Nearly half of the elders are limited in their daily activities by their own physical shape.

- A significant part of the elderly in Greenland suffer from multiple diseases and are limited in their everyday lives. Besides, many of them are lonely. The public health services and local authorities should be more aware of that, says co-author and professor Peter Bjerregaard from the State Institute of Public Health.