We’re all living longer than ever before. Thanks to the advances in medicine and technology, fewer people are dying young. The average life expectancy is now 79 years old. Just 100 years ago, the average life expectancy was just 59 years.
As there are now more and more senior citizens than ever before, more people need to be taken care of. Perhaps there were sufficient numbers of people to take care of the elderly just 20 years ago. However, things have changed.
The Issue With Increased Life Expectancy
One of the main issues with increased life expectancy is the impact of senior citizen’s health issues.
While some senior citizens will have a happy and healthy life, others may not.
Some senior citizens may need looking after. So the question is, who will look after us all? There will need to be:
- More solutions dealing with fall prevention in the elderly
- More nursing homes
- More beds in hospitals
- Extra medication manufactured to keep up with demands
- More doctors, nurses, and other health care workers
- Extra funding for all of the above resources
Will Your Family Take Care Of You?
Many senior citizens are looked after by their families. They often move into their family’s home and receive care there. However, this could be impossible in the future. As the population increases almost exponentially, more housing will be required.
Will new homes be large enough for everyone to live in? Can grandparents move into their family’s homes? It’s possible, but only if people are willing to sacrifice space.
Will You Live in Your Home?
Most people want to stay in their own homes. The older we become, the more independent we want to stay. Some people live in their homes for as long as possible. They might bring carers in to look after them, or they may not.
If people were to stay in their own homes it could help to:
- Prevent hospitals from becoming overcrowded
- Prevent nursing homes from becoming overcrowded
- Reduce state funding
- Keep everyone more independent
Relying On The Younger Generation
It’s likely that senior citizens will have to rely on the younger generation to help them. It is hoped that more and more people will train to work in health care. However, there are no guarantees.
- There are no jobs for life anymore
- Salaries do not increase as much as inflation does
- It’s harder to buy homes
- Renting homes can be expensive
- Even the most qualified are struggling to find work
- Student loans can take decades to pay off
Day-to-day life seems to be getting harder for the young. As a result, there’s a chance that fewer people will be able to take care of the elderly. This is unless working in the care sector pays well.
Working To Prevent Future Health Issues
When people take more care of their health, they help to prevent future health issues. This can only be a good thing. The healthier the population, the less care people will need.
It’s not always easy encouraging people to live healthy lives. They can, after all, eat what they please and exercise as much or as little as they please.
Perhaps our government could work harder to educate people who are unaware of how to stay healthy. This could help to prevent them from having health issues as they’re older.
Relying On Technology For Care
In recent years, we have seen huge advances in technology. We can speak to people on the other side of the world. We can work from home, or we can get a degree online.
Technology already helps many senior citizens to live better lives. They can remain in touch with their loved ones, receive tailored medication, and hear better than ever. It’s possible that in just a few decades, senior citizens will be even more reliant on technology.
Many people already use smart speakers in their homes. There’s always a chance that these speakers will evolve into something more helpful. It’s not too ridiculous to suggest that in 20 years there could be robots in the home taking care of senior citizens.
We already have :
- Self-driving cars
- Drones
- Cell phones and tablets
In just a few years, we could have professional caregivers in the shape of robots. This might sound a little far fetched. However, just a few years ago we were being introduced to emails. Look how far technology has come since then.
It’s hard to say who may take care of us as we age. However, it is likely that the burden may fall on the younger generation and technology. Only time will tell.
