How many years do you expect to live? Seventy, Eighty, Hundred ... People used to think it was impossible to live untl the age of 90. Now, we read articles about people who got married when they are over 90 years old. So, populations are aging worldwide and it brings lots of implications both positive and negative.
Some experts think this old age wave is causing lots of problems. A graying population can cause a collapse in the retirement system. It means that there will be fewer people to support the pensions. On one hand, some analysts think with immigrants this problem can be solved in developed countries. On the other hand, integration of the immigrants can be difficult. Another solution is spreading leisure time throughout life. Nevertheless, we cannot expect a 90 year old person to work on a job. Maybe increasing the quality of working conditions can lead old people to work. All in all, it has economically and politically implications which are very hard to solve.
Increasing longevity has some positive implications too. It creates lots of sectors like household things for old people, door knobs, hair dyes, plastic surgery, health care, and nursing which support the economy. For example, my grandmother is 83 and she is very healthy. However, she complains when she goes to shopping malls because she cannot find proper clothes for her age. As you see, developing things for old people will help the economy.
To sum up, we are faced with a graying population but it has both pros and cons. All we need is to be ready and prepared to meet the new old community.
ELİF TAHMİSCİOĞLU
11 TMA 21
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