In Peru, Maximiliana has been herding sheep and goats since she was a small child. But much has changed in the past 60 years. When she was young, grass was plentiful. Now she has to walk 15 kilometers across the parched pastures of the high Peruvian Andes to find enough grazing for her animals. Maximiliana and her husband recently joined a senior citizens' club where they help to work communal fields. This supplements their diet and income. "I still love walking in the mountains with the animals", 65-year old Maximiliana says, "but I’ll need to find some other way to earn money because I won’t be able to keep doing this forever."

On World Health Day (7 April), the Organization is calling for urgent action to ensure that, at a time when the world's population is ageing rapidly, people reach old age in the best possible health.

• PAHO World Health Day Webpage