To better understand the international perspective of public policies for the elderly, in line with the parameters that serve as tendencies for national policies, one must contextualize international health conferences that had health promotion as their central topic. Since the Declaration of Alma-Ata, in 1978(5), it has been noted that measures and characteristics of health promotion imply a search for healthier life styles and active aging. Health promotion is seen as a process of community qualification, aiming to improve life and health conditions. The promotion actions result from the combination of state actions in the respective public health policies; community actions, the actions of the individuals themselves, to develop their own capabilities, and.
