MEDICAL CARE OVER THE PAST CENTURY HAS IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE WORLD’S POPULATION IS INCREASINGLY LIVING LONGER INTO OLD AGE. IS THIS HAVING A HARMFUL EFFECT ON SOCIETIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, OR ARE THERE MORE BENEFITS THAN DRAWBACKS?
ONE OBVIOUS ISSUE WITH AN AGEING POPULATION IS THAT IT CAN CREATE ENOURMOUS DEMANDS ON A NATIONS HEALTH SERVICE. AS PEOPLE LIVE LONGER INTO THEIR OLD AGE, THE CHANCES OF THEM SUFFERING FROM SERIOUS ILLNESS INCREASES. AS A RESULT, THE LIKEHOOD OF THEM REQUIRING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECOMES HIGHER, AND IT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE CARE FOR EVERYONE. A FURTHER DOWNSIDE IS THAT LIVING LONGER DOES NOT NECESSARILY BRING HAPPINESS. BY THIS I MEAN, AN OLDER PERSON IS UNABLE TO DO MANY OF ACTIVITIES THAT THEY WANTO TO DO, LEADING TO THE LIKEHOOD OF DEPRESSION AND A DETERIORATION IN THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH.
HAVING SAID THAT, YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FOR A LONGER IS THAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FOR A LONGER TIME FROM THE WISDOM HANDED DOWN TO THEM BY OLDER MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES. IN TODAY’S FAST-PACED WORLD, IT IS OFTEN COMFORTING TO SEEK ADVICE FROM OLDER GENERATIONS. CONSEQUENTELY, THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF A GRANDPARENT IS ALMOST IRRELEVANT, AS THE CHILDREN WILL BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF AN OLDER MIND. WHAT IS MORE, RETIRED PEOPLE TODAY ARE GENERALLY MUCH HEALTHIER THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN, AND OFTEN ENJOY THEIR LIVES MORE THAN THEY DID WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG. THEY HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS – FAMILY THAT CAN CARE FOR AND LOOK UP TO THEM, AND BETTER HEALTH THAN AT ANY TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY.
WEIGHING UP BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT AGAIN, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS THAT OLD AGE BRINGS – PREDOMINANTLY HEALTH-RELATED- BRINGS THE BENEFITS THAT T BRINGS TO THE FAMILY UNIT AND TO SOCIETY AS A WHOLE ARE IMPOSSIPLE.
MEDICAL CARE OVER THE PAST CENTURY HAS
IMPROVED
DRAMATICALLY
. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE WORLD’S POPULATION IS
INCREASINGLY
LIVING
LONGER
INTO
OLD
AGE. IS THIS HAVING A HARMFUL EFFECT ON SOCIETIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, OR ARE THERE MORE
BENEFITS
THAN DRAWBACKS?
ONE OBVIOUS ISSUE WITH AN
AGEING
POPULATION IS THAT IT CAN CREATE
ENOURMOUS
DEMANDS ON A NATIONS HEALTH SERVICE. AS
PEOPLE
LIVE
LONGER
INTO THEIR
OLD
AGE, THE CHANCES OF THEM SUFFERING FROM SERIOUS ILLNESS INCREASES.
AS A RESULT
, THE
LIKEHOOD
OF THEM REQUIRING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECOMES HIGHER, AND IT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE CARE FOR EVERYONE. A
FURTHER
DOWNSIDE IS THAT LIVING
LONGER
DOES NOT
NECESSARILY
BRING
HAPPINESS. BY THIS I MEAN, AN
OLDER
PERSON IS UNABLE TO DO
MANY
OF ACTIVITIES THAT THEY
WANTO
TO DO, LEADING TO THE
LIKEHOOD
OF DEPRESSION AND A DETERIORATION IN THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH.
HAVING SAID THAT, YOUNG
PEOPLE
CAN
BENEFIT
FOR A
LONGER
IS THAT YOUNG
PEOPLE
CAN
BENEFIT
FOR A
LONGER
TIME FROM THE WISDOM HANDED DOWN TO THEM BY
OLDER
MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES. IN
TODAY
’S
FAST
-PACED WORLD, IT IS
OFTEN
COMFORTING TO SEEK ADVICE FROM
OLDER
GENERATIONS.
CONSEQUENTELY
, THE PHYSICAL HEALTH OF A GRANDPARENT IS ALMOST IRRELEVANT, AS THE CHILDREN WILL
BENEFIT
FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF AN
OLDER
MIND.
WHAT IS MORE
, RETIRED
PEOPLE
TODAY
ARE
GENERALLY
MUCH HEALTHIER THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN, AND
OFTEN
ENJOY THEIR
LIVES
MORE THAN THEY DID WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG. THEY HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
–
FAMILY THAT CAN CARE FOR AND LOOK UP TO THEM, AND BETTER HEALTH THAN AT ANY TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY.
WEIGHING UP BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT AGAIN, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS THAT
OLD
AGE
BRINGS
–
PREDOMINANTLY
HEALTH-RELATED-
BRINGS
THE
BENEFITS
THAT T
BRINGS
TO THE FAMILY UNIT AND TO SOCIETY AS A WHOLE ARE
IMPOSSIPLE
.