1 - Care of the Aged in Asia and Europe

Summary

Introduction

The ageing of population is an outcome of successful demographic transition. One of the unprecedented achievements in the medical history of the twentieth century is the prolongation of the lifespan of human beings. Globally, the life expectancy at birth had been around 47 years in the 1950s. This increased tremendously to 67 years in 2008 – 20 added years in a lifespan of about 50 years. Between the more developed regions and the less developed regions, the gain was impressive among the less developed regions with 24 years against a mere 10 years among the more developed regions (United Nations (UN), 2007). However, the problems associated with an ageing population could be located in a developmental context through institutions that have been shaped by this experience. Institutional factors included on the one hand, the norm of a restricted definition of work as market-related productive activity and the association of ageing with ‘non-work’ and dependency, and on the other hand, state and market failures to internalize the interests of heterogeneous groups of the aged population. An important aspect here is the feminization of ageing, including the vulnerability of widows, alongside the greater emphasis on women as caregivers.

The recent emphasis in ageing research in the developing world is attributed to the growing number of elderly persons and the institutional failures to render adequate care for them. Population ageing is generally attributed to continuous decrease in fertility levels and constant increase in life expectancy.