Geriatric Medicine in an Aging Society: Up for a Challenge?

Frontiers in Medicine

Arduino A. Mangoni¹ 

关键词: aging;    geriatric medicine;    healthcare systems;    independence;    workforce;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2014.00010

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

A progressive decrease in fertility, together with lengthening life expectancy, has driven a reshaping in the age distribution of the world population (1). The main consequence of this reshaping is a progressive increase in both the number and the relative proportion of older people in our society. Current fertility rates in virtually all developed countries are below replacement levels, reflecting the significant societal, cultural, and lifestyle changes over the last century. A faster decline in fertility is occurring in developing countries. The latter is anticipated to reduce global geographical differences in fertility rates. The increase in life expectancy is related to a number of factors such as improved socioeconomic conditions and access to health services, early detection of disease conditions, and improved short- and long-term outcomes after an illness. Mean global life expectancy has increased from 46.5 years in 1950–1955 to 66.0 years in 2000–2005. This increase has been more prominent in less developed countries although significant variation exists in these regions (2). Notably, the relative gain in life expectancy is also projected to increase at older age, i.e., by 27% at age 80, 19% at age 60, and only 9% at birth over the next 50 years. Therefore, specific subgroups within the older population, e.g., >80 years, are growing particularly fast.

【 授权许可】

CC BY