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UN Warns Over Impact of Rapidly Ageing Populations

The UN warns that within 10 years, the number of people aged over 60 will pass one billion, presenting challenges for countries' welfare systems. As lifespans increase, the elderly population is growing faster than any other age group. Many developing countries are unprepared for this aging population and are mismanaging their care. India in particular needs urgent reform as its elderly population will triple by 2050 despite families traditionally caring for them; now abuse and neglect of the elderly is rising. Bolivia provides a good example where all over-60s receive a small pension and the elderly organize emergency response teams.

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81 views2 pages

UN Warns Over Impact of Rapidly Ageing Populations

The UN warns that within 10 years, the number of people aged over 60 will pass one billion, presenting challenges for countries' welfare systems. As lifespans increase, the elderly population is growing faster than any other age group. Many developing countries are unprepared for this aging population and are mismanaging their care. India in particular needs urgent reform as its elderly population will triple by 2050 despite families traditionally caring for them; now abuse and neglect of the elderly is rising. Bolivia provides a good example where all over-60s receive a small pension and the elderly organize emergency response teams.

Uploaded by

mario
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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UN warns over impact of rapidly ageing populations

The world needs to do more to prepare for the impact of a rapidly ageing population, the
UN has warned - particularly in developing countries. Within 10 years the number of
people aged over 60 will pass one billion, a report by the UN Population Fund said. The
demographic shift will present huge challenges to countries' welfare, pension and
healthcare systems. The UN agency also said more had to be done to tackle "abuse,
neglect and violence against older persons".
The number of older people worldwide is growing faster than any other age group. The
report, Ageing in the 21st Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, estimates that one in
nine people around the world are older than 60. The elderly population is expected to
swell by 200 million in the next decade to surpass one billion, and reach two billion by
2050. This rising proportion of older people is a consequence of success - improved
nutrition, sanitation, healthcare, education and economic well-being are contributing
factors, the report says.
But the UN and a charity that also contributed to the report, HelpAge International, say
the ageing population is being widely mismanaged. "In many developing countries with
large populations of young people, the challenge is that governments have not put
policies and practices in place to support their current older populations or made
enough preparations for 2050," the agencies said in a joint statement.
The report warns that the skills and experience of older people are being wasted, with
many under-employed and vulnerable to discrimination. HelpAge said more countries
needed to introduce pension schemes to ensure economic independence and reduce
poverty in old age. It stressed that it was not enough to simply pass legislation - the new
schemes needed to be funded properly.
The UN report used India as an example, saying it needed to take urgent steps in this
area. Almost two-thirds of India's population is under 30. But it also has 100 million
elderly people - a figure that is expected to increase threefold by 2050. Traditionally,
people in India live in large, extended families and elderly people have been well looked
after. But the trend now is to have smaller, nuclear families and many of the country's
elderly are finding themselves cast out, says the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi.
There are more and more cases of physical and mental abuse, including neglect,
suffered by the elderly at the hands of their families. It is slowly becoming a widespread
social problem, particularly in urban areas, one which India still has not got to grips with,
our correspondent says.
By contrast, the UN report cited the case of Bolivia as an example of good practice in
the developing world. All Bolivians over the age of 60 get a pension that is the
equivalent of about $30 (£19) a month. Bolivia suffers from frequent flooding and
landslides, and older people there have been organised into "Brigadas Blancas" - White
Haired Brigades. They help with preparations for emergencies, and accessing
humanitarian aid.
Source: BBC News Website
Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading?
Mark:
TRUE - if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information
NOT STATED - if there is no information on this
1. The growth of the elderly population is going to make it extremely difficult to provide adequate social
service provision

True
False
Not Stated
2. Approximately thirty per cent of the population are over 60 years old

True
False
Not Stated
3. Developed countries are much better prepared than developing countries for 2050

True
False
Not Stated
4. More financing is necessary to ensure new pension schemes are successful

True
False
Not Stated
5. Elderly people in India are not always being looked after as well as they were in the past

True
False
Not Stated
6. India is starting to deal with the neglect of its elderly population

True
False
Not Stated
7. Bolivian Families look after their elderly relatives better than any other developing countries

True
False
Not Stated

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