ageing population Flashcards
define the ageing population?
the average age the UK population is rising
what was the ageing population in 1971?
34.1 years
what was ageing population in 2013?
40.3
what did hirsch (2005) find
Hirsch (2005) argues that the traditional age ‘pyramid’ is disappearing and being replaced with more equal blocks. By 2041 there will be as many 78 year olds as 5 year olds.
what do age pyramids show?
Older age groups are growing Younger age groups are shrinking
why do we have an aging population? name 1
- Increasing life expectancy
People are living longer into old age
name one reason why we have an ageing population?
Declining infant mortality Nowadays it is rare to die early in life
name a reason why we have an ageing population?
Declining fertility
Fewer young people are being born in relation to the number of old people in the population.
what effect does the ageing population have on the public services?
Older people consume a larger proportion of services such as health and social care than other age groups.
• This is true for the ‘old old’(usually defined as 75 or over) as against the ‘young old’ (65-74).
• This more money has to be spent on these services to care for the elderly.
However, we should beware of overgeneralising, since many people remain in relatively good health well into old age.
it also may make changes to policies i.e housing, transport
what is the effect on one person pensioner households due to an ageing population?
The number of pensioners living alone has increased.
• One-person pensioner households now account for
every 1/8 households.
most of these are female,because women generally live longer than men and tend to be younger than their husbands.
• Among the over-75’s there are twice as many women than men. This trends is often called the feminisation of later life.
what does the ageing population cause for the dependency ratio?
• Like the non-working young, the non- working old are an economically dependent group who need to be provided for by those of working age, for example through taxation to pay for pensions and health care.
• As the number of retired people rises, this increases the dependency ratio and the burden on the working population
expected to keep falling
what did hirsch believe about the effects of an ageing population?
The main problem of an ageing population will be how to finance a longer period of old age
how could hirschs problem be solved?
This can either be done by paying more from our savings and taxes while we are working, or by continuing to work for longer, or a combination of both.
• We need to reverse the current trend towards earlier retirement – but this will only happen if we change how we view old people!
• Changes to housing policy to encourage older people to ‘trade down’ into smaller accommodation and retirement homes.
• This would release wealth to improve their standard of living and free up housing resources for younger people.
