Old age
Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, seniors, senior citizens, or older adults.[1] Old age is not a definite biological stage: the chronological age denoted as "old age" varies culturally and historically.[2] Some disciplines and domains focus on the aging and the aged, such as the organic processes of aging (senescence),[3] medical studies of the aging process (gerontology),[4] diseases that afflict older adults (geriatrics),[5] technology to support the aging society (gerontechnology), and leisure and sport activities adapted to older people (such as senior sport).
"Elderly" and "Old people" redirect here. For other uses, see Elder (disambiguation). For the Khmer Rouge term, see New People (Cambodia).
Old people often have limited regenerative abilities and are more susceptible to illness and injury than younger adults. They face social problems related to retirement, loneliness, and ageism.[6][7]
In 2011, the United Nations proposed a human-rights convention to protect old people.[8]
Perspectives[edit]
Middle age[edit]
Many books written by authors in middle adulthood depict a few common perceptions on old age.[92] One writer notices the change in his parents: They move slowly, they have less strength, they repeat stories, their minds wander, and they fret.[93] Another writer sees her aged parents and is bewildered: They refuse to follow her advice, they are obsessed with the past, they avoid risk, and they live at a "glacial pace".[94]
In her The Denial of Aging, Dr. Muriel R. Gillick, a baby boomer, accuses her contemporaries of believing that by proper exercise and diet they can avoid the scourges of old age and proceed from middle age to death.[95] Studies find that many people in the 65–84 range can postpone morbidity by practicing healthy lifestyles. However, at about age 85, most people experience similar morbidity.[96] Even with healthy lifestyles, most 85+ people will undergo extended "frailty and disability".[88]
Old age[edit]
Early old age can be a pleasant time; children are grown, work is over, and there is time to pursue other interests.[14]: 603 Many old people are also willing to get involved in community and activist organizations to promote their well-being. In contrast, perceptions of old age by writers 80+ years old tend to be negative.[97]
Georges Minois writes that the first man known to talk about his old age was an Egyptian scribe who lived 4,500 years ago. The scribe addressed God with a prayer of lament:[98]: 14
Religiosity[edit]
Generally speaking, old people have always been more religious than young people.[140] At the same time, wide cultural variations exist.[14]: 608
In the United States, 90% of old age Hispanics view themselves as very, quite, or somewhat religious.[141]: 125 The Pew Research Center's study of black and white old people found that 62% of those in ages 65–74 and 70% in ages 75+ asserted that religion was "very important" to them. For all 65+ people, more women (76%) than men (53%) and more blacks (87%) than whites (63%) consider religion "very important" to them. This compares to 54% in the 30–49 age range.[142]
In a British 20-year longitudinal study, less than half of the old people surveyed said that religion was "very important" to them, and a quarter said they had become less religious in old age.[14]: 608 The late-life rise in religiosity is stronger in Japan than in the United States, but in the Netherlands it is minimal.[14]: 608
In the practice of religion, a study of 60+ people found that 25% read the Bible every day and over 40% watch religious television.[141]: 12 Pew Research found that in the age 65+ range, 75% of whites and 87% of blacks pray daily.[142] When comparing religiosity, the individual practice may be a more accurate measure than participation in organized religion. With organized religion, participation may often be hindered due to transportation or health problems.[141]: 125
Demographic changes[edit]
In the industrialized countries, life expectancy and, thus, the old age population have increased consistently over the last decades.[143] In the United States the proportion of people aged 65 or older increased from 4% in 1900 to about 12% in 2000.[144] In 1900, only about 3 million of the nation's citizens were 65 or older (out of 76 million total American citizens). By 2000, the number of senior citizens had increased to about 35 million (of 280 million US citizens). Population experts estimate that more than 50 million Americans—about 17 percent of the population—will be 65 or older in 2020.[145] By 2050, it is projected that at least 400,000 Americans will be 100 or older.[146]
The number of old people is growing around the world chiefly because of the post–World War II baby boom and increases in the provision and standards of health care.[147] By 2050, 33% of the developed world's population and almost 20% of the less developed world's population will be over 60 years old.[148]
The growing number of people living to their 80s and 90s in the developed world has strained public welfare systems and has also resulted in increased incidence of diseases like cancer and dementia that were rarely seen in premodern times. When the United States Social Security program was created, people older than 65 numbered only around 5% of the population and the average life expectancy of a 65-year-old in 1936 was approximately 5 years, while in 2011 it could often range from 10 to 20 years. Other issues that can arise from an increasing population are growing demands for health care and an increase in demand for different types of services.[149]
Of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds—100,000 per day—die of age-related causes.[150] In industrialized nations, the proportion is much higher, reaching 90%.[150]
Life expectancy[edit]
Life expectancy by nation at birth in the year 2011 ranged from 48 years to 82. Low values indicate high death rates for infants and children.[158]
In most parts of the world women live, on average, longer than men; even so, the disparities vary between 12 years in Russia to no difference or higher life expectancy for men in countries such as Zimbabwe and Uganda.[159]
The number of elderly people worldwide began to surge in the second half of the 20th century. In developed countries before then, five or less percent of the population was over 65. Few lived longer than their 70s and people who attained advanced age (i.e. their 80s) were rare enough to be a novelty and were revered as wise sages. The worldwide over-65 population in 1960 was one-third of the under-5 population. By 2013, the over-65 population had grown to equal the under-5 population and is projected to double the under-5 population by 2050.[160]
Before the surge in the over-65 population, accidents and disease claimed many people before they could attain old age, and health problems in those over 65 meant a quick death in most cases. If a person lived to an advanced age, it was due to genetic factors and/or a relatively easy lifestyle, since diseases of old age could not be treated before the 20th century.[161]
In October 2016, a group of scientists identified the maximum human lifespan at an average age of 115, with an absolute upper limit of 125 years.[162] However, the concept of a maximum lifespan of humans is still widely debated among the scientific community.[163]
Benefits[edit]
German chancellor Otto von Bismarck created the world's first comprehensive government social safety net in the 1880s, providing for old age pensions.[164]
In the United States of America, and the United Kingdom, 65 (UK 60 for women) was traditionally the age of retirement with full old age benefits.[165][166]
In 2003, the age at which a United States citizen became eligible for full Social Security benefits began to increase gradually, and will continue to do so until it reaches 67 in 2027. Full retirement age for Social Security benefits for people retiring in 2012 is age 66.[167] In the United Kingdom, the state pension age for men and women will rise to 66 in 2020 with further increases scheduled after that.
Originally, the purpose of old age pensions was to prevent elderly people from being reduced to beggary, which is still common in some underdeveloped countries, but growing life expectancies and older populations have brought into question the model under which pension systems were designed.[168] By 1990, the United States was spending 30 per cent of its budget on the elderly, compared with 2 per cent on education.[169] The dominant perception of the American old age population changed from "needy" and "worthy" to "powerful" and "greedy", old people getting more than their share of the nation's resources.[170] However, in 2011, using a Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), the old age American poverty rate was measured as 15.9%.[48]
