10 Ideas That Are Changing the World: #7 Aging Gracefully

As time goes by, it is observed that in almost any developed country there is a trend of low birth rates and death rates. This means that aging populations are forming around the world with more and more people above 50 years old forming the majority of a country’s population.

The usual links a person would make towards an elderly population would be that there would be an increase in a country’s medical expenditure as more money has to be to be set aside for the welfare of its elderly and this leads to a decreases the country’s ability to invest in other aspects beneficial for the country’s future such as education. However, this article suggests otherwise.

This article suggests that the elderly (people over 50 years old by definition) can still contribute positively to the society. The article uses Japan as a case study and has evidence that agree that the elderly do not just exhaust a country’s finances. Examples of having high purchasing power show how they actually continue to contribute to a country’s economic growth. But fact remains that not everyone has the luxury of so much money at their disposal and many still depend on the government for subsidies for various things concerning their welfare. An example would be medical expenses. At this juncture I think that a long term solution would be to promote a healthy lifestyle among a country’s population. Many people in the working sector are usually absorbed in their work and neglect their health, resulting in health problems in the elderly years. Campaigns or advertisements reminding people to exercise or maintaining a balanced diet would help.

I agree and glad that more and more countries are gradually losing the “the elderly are burdens to society” mindset and are starting to see certain advantages of this situation. However, besides only thinking about how their wealth can contribute to the economy on a short term basis, I think that the elderly can contribute with something else, something so valuable that the youth or young people of today lack – experience,

The elderly have lived through more then half their lives and have many experiences unique to every individual that can become lessons for us. Their bodies may be deteriorating with age but I’m sure their mind is still as active as ever. They can provide essential advice to the leaders of today’s world on certain decisions or situations that they have been through themselves. History may not have to repeat itself.