Woman at old age home, Baracoa, Cuba. Credit: Adam63/Wikimedia
Older people are a benefit, rather than a burden, to the economy and society according to a new report from the UCL School of Pharmacy. The report, Active Ageing: Live Longer and Prosper (produced with financial support from Alliance Boots) refutes the view that older people are a major source of economic problems such as reduced international competitiveness. It provides evidence that the benefits of living longer will outweigh the additional health and social care costs of population ageing. "All too often old age is seen as a time of increasing dependency, vulnerability and frailty. But older people already contribute significantly to their families' and wider communities' wellbeing," said Jennifer Gill (UCL School of Pharmacy), co-author of the report. Life expectancy at 65 has increased by six years since the 1950s. As people live longer they stay healthier, at any given age. Such advances have partly been generated by the pharmaceutical revolution of 1950-2000.
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