The results of a recent study which was carried out in Southern Denmark show that more than 50 per cent of babies born at the present time can expect to live until the amazingly ripe old age of 100. Not only will they live far longer, but they can expect their increased years to be healthier and with less disability than at present.
The study took into account data from over 30 developed countries and the results show that the likelihood of surviving beyond 80 years of is twice as likely for both men and women for those born in the 1950 s and later. It s apparent that healthier behaviour in general is a key factor in longevity.
It appears that there is no evidence of this improvement slowing down. The figures show that back in 1950 probable survival rates to over 80 years of age averaged around 15 per cent for women and just 12 percent for men. Just over 50 years later the figures had been raised to 37 per cent for women and 25 per cent for men.
There now seems to be a new version of the three ages of man and four ages would be a better description. Childhood, adult, young old and old old age are the best way of thinking of it. It appears that up to 4 in 10 adults remained independent from their 92nd to their 100th birthdays.
A study of US citizens in the old old age group showed that those aged 110 to 119 were still relatively sprightly with 40 per cent needing little or no help to cope with everyday living. This seems to be the way the UK is heading, because of marked improvements in delaying the onset of limitations and disabilities, mainly due to far better ways of diagnosing and treating serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
Improving figures could present problems, however. A spokesman for the study said Increasing numbers of people at old and very old ages will pose major challenges for health care systems. Present evidence, however, suggests that people are not only living longer than they did previously, but also they are living longer, with less disability and fewer functional limitations.
Improving life expectancy would have a major impact on funding of care services in the future, according to the Department of Health. A representative of the Department said We know that the shape of our society is changing: we want to make sure that people who are living longer continue to enjoy a good quality of life. By 2040 we expect 1.7 million more adults will have a care need. We want to be able to offer really good care to everyone who needs it, so we need to radically change the way the system is funded.
The response of the Government to these latest figures was to announce plans for a National Care Service to provide free home support for those elderly people in the greatest need. Our response is that it s going to take an awful lot of money to meet these needs.
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