People are no longer considered old at age 65
The population is aging more slowly than expected, which means the burden on health care systems in industrialized countries might be less than expected and the cost of taking care of the elderly should be remeasured, according to a new study in Science magazine. The study, by American and Austrian researchers, suggests aging should be measured in a way that isn’t fixed to chronological ages. Current indicators used worldwide to determine healthcare and retirement costs are based on chronological age “and in many instances consider people as being old when they reach age 65 or even earlier,” professor Warren Sanderson, one of the authors, told the BBC. This has policy implications, since population changes are expected to have major economic consequences in the future.