UK's ageing population...?

Question

I'm doing a report on the UK's ageing population and i have to include factors that have contributed to this rise in elderly and predictions for the future. But i also have to recomend what the governmet can do to stop this to ending up in crisis...
Anyone got any ideas on what i could write...?
How about a good website...?
I'd appreciate all suitable help :)

Answer 1

When writing the essay, make sure it doesn't look like you're just pasting in "idea I didn't think of #1", then #2, then #3. Your task isn't just to collect these reasons and ideas and put a few prepositions in between them. Analyse them...weigh them up....compare/contrast the pros/cons....this will help with the second part (recommendations).

My recommendation is that governments simply accept that the traditional population structure - not many old people and lots of middle-aged and young people - is not the population structure of the future. Old people are going to form a majority (or at least constitute a huge minority). Many govts do not seem willing to accept this and instead want to "import" young people from abroad. This could lead to overpopulation (the old people aren't being exported, to compensate!). Govts could instead try and deal with older population structures. The only real problem is that old people stop working and then require financial assistance from working people's taxes to live. By encouraging more to save for their retirement, this burden would be lessened. Moreover, lots of people don't need to stop working when they get to their 60s, yet they do or feel compelled to. To keep more people in work, govts could raise the state pension age (say from 65 to 70), tackle age discrimination in the workplace, or ensure that old people can find the sort of work they desire, such as work which isn't too physically demanding.

Answer 2

I have just done a presentation on ageism and looked at loads of sites. The International Monetary fund is exploring the consequences of an ageing world (see link below, its complex but should give loads of detail on how governments will cope)


By the year 2050 a number (2 billion) equivalent to the current populations of Canada, USA, Central America (= Mexico and Caribbean ) South America, continent of Europe plus Turkey will all be over 60. 60+ year olds will outnumber those under 14. World ageing is a major, major issue that has not hit the general worlds radar yet..... "an issue as fundamental as climate change or globalisation"

Answer 3

We've covered this a lot in college
Irelands also got a big increase in elderly and will continue to rise in the next 3 decades and beyond
it's due to increased knowledge, intervention and practice in the medical field and also our awareness of a healthier lifestyle
if you consider a child born today who is brought up in a healthy lifestyle they are likely to keep that up through out their life and so live longer they will need care housing and all the other stuff people need when they are old resources and services are going to have to increase to cater for this, we were told the monbey or rather never ending work will be in social care for the elderly in the future so the governments need to start budgeting for a quality care system for our elderly be it in homes sheltered housing or to fund family members to stay hoome and care for oldser members. Our entire health system needs to change also to accommodate the extra generation that will be the increased amount of elderly so right from little old us we need to seriously comnsider who we vote into government so that this problem gets tackled as early as possible before theres a crisis.

Answer 4

Better health care, diet, no major life threatening epidemics, no wars which will take out the fit adult population.
Population growth has been slowing so there are fewer young people having children later in life and a bulge in the growing adult population, you need government statistics here OPPCS I think carry population and census information and trends, look on any social policy websites and wikipedia, google or yahoo for your research sites.

Answer 5

Most old folk were kids during the war and food was scares.
not like the junk you shovel down the ever open sludge
traps called a mouth,the amount of fat,spices,bread,foreign
foods,sweets/candy crisps and so so much gunk all laced
with sugar and salt.
Old folk could not get hold of such rubbish food and were on
a forced diet for years but today's fat society will not live
as long because of bad diets.

Answer 6

There are more of us because we now live longer, we are smart enough to have given up the things that kill you early in life, drugs and fags.

The only thing they can do is shoot us at 65. PS I'm only 60 so I'm OK

Answer 7

mass culling of people over 70. don't think of them as humans, think of them as a burden