This week, my father-in-law and his brother (both over 70 years old) visited us in Fort Lauderdale from Laurel, Maryland. My husband and I relocated to Fort Lauderdale in 1988 and as a result, have missed a good number of family events over the years. Not the big ones, like Christmas and weddings, but the ‘routine family get-togethers’ that allow you to see firsthand the effects of aging on family members and the impact it has on their daily lives. The visit was important as it allowed both my husband and me to realize how special Dad and Dave are, but also to recognize that they’re growing older and getting frailer so it was important to cherish the time we were together. The visit also made my husband and I look at our own lives and realize that we, too, are getting older. We asked ourselves some difficult questions after Dad and Dave left. Have we taken the time to prepare for long-term care? Are we financially secure for retirement? Will the good health that we have enjoyed for over 50 years continue?

As we get into the hustle and bustle of tax time, this is a good time for all of us to take a look at our future. In that light, I recently came across a report that highlights the issue of aging as a global issue. The U.S. State Department, in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, recently published a report following a conference of world leaders who came together to address the impact aging populations are having on their countries and the world as a whole. To give you an overview, below are the section summaries from the report highlighting the nine major trends it reviews. I hope you will take the time to download and read the report in its entirety, as it will give you important information that you can use both personally and professionally, as we are ALL growing older!

Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective

(Click here for a pdf of the complete report.)

Trend 1 – An Aging Population:

For the first time in history, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under age 5. This trend is emerging around the globe. Today, almost 500 million people are age 65 and over, accounting for 8 percent of the world’s population.

Trend 2 - Increasing Life Expectancy

Some nations experienced more than a doubling of average life expectancy during the 20th century. Life expectancy at birth in Japan now approaches 82 years, the highest level among the world’s more developed countries, and life expectancy is at least 79 years in several other more developed countries.

Trend 3 – Rising Number of the Oldest Old

An important feature of population aging is the progressive aging of the older population itself. Over time, more older people survive to even more advanced ages. For research and policy purposes, it is useful to distinguish between the old and the oldest old, often defined as people age 85 and over. Because of chronic disease, the oldest old have the highest population levels of disability that require long-term care. The oldest old constitute 7 percent of the world’s 65-and-over population; 10 percent in more-developed countries and 5 percent in less-developed countries. More than half of the world’s oldest old live in six countries: China, the United States, India, Japan, Germany, and Russia.

Trend 4 – Growing Burden of Noncommunicable or Chronic Diseases

In the next 10 to 15 years, the loss of health and life in every region of the world, including Africa, will be greater from noncommunicable or chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, than from infectious and parasitic diseases.

Trend 5 – Aging and Population Decline

While the global population is aging at an unprecedented rate, some countries are witnessing a historically unprecedented demographic phenomenon: Simultaneous population aging and population decline.

Trend 6 – Changing Family Structure

As people live longer and have fewer children, family structures are transformed. This has important implications in terms of providing care to older people. Most older people today have children, and many have grandchildren and siblings. However, in countries with very low birth rates, future generations will have few if any siblings. As a result of this trend and the global trend toward having fewer children, people will have less familial care and support systems as they age.

Trend 7 - Shifting Patterns of Work & Retirement

No set of issues has stimulated public discourse about population aging more than work, retirement, and economic security in old age. In 1960, men on average could expect to spend 46 years in the workforce and a little more than one year in retirement. By 1995, the number of years in the workforce had decreased to 37 while the number of years in retirement had jumped to 12.

Trend 8 – Evolving Social Insurance System

In response to escalating pension expenditures, an increasing number of countries across the development spectrum are evaluating the sustainability of old-age social insurance.

Trend 9 – Emerging Economic Challenges

Population aging will have dramatic effects on local, regional, and global economies. Most significantly, financial expenditures, labor supply, and total savings will be affected.

Have a good week!

Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Editor-in-Chief of Across My Desk, Case in Point magazine, and the Case Management Resource Guide
allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com