Life Expectancy: How Long Do We Really Want To Live

In current news it’s been revealed that life expectancy of certain populations will reach 90 by the year 2030.

A study by the Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation has suggested that South Korean women will be the first in the world to reach the 90 threshold. Researchers have also predicted that the age gap between men and women would close in the majority of countries.

Japan, currently one of the top countries in terms of longevity, will fall down the rankings and be overtaken by countries such as France. It’s thought the expectancy will rise due to better healthcare and life choices in the over 65’s.

Life expectancy in the UK is forecast to reach 82 for men and 85 for women between 2015 and 2030, that’s an extra three years on men and an extra two years for women compared to what it currently sits at.

Professor Majid Ezzati stated that: “Many people used to believe that 90 years is the upper limit for life expectancy, but this research suggests we will break the 90-year-barrier.”

The professor explained that the reason for South Korea ranking top is down to ‘good nutrition in childhood, low blood pressure, low levels of smoking, good access to healthcare, and uptake of new medical knowledge and technologies.’

What does this mean?

With nearly one in three being over the age of 65 in many developed countries, there’s a worry in terms of social care, health costs, benefits and work. Will government funding for the NHS need to be increased and will retirement ages be raised are some of the key questions.

It’s certainly likely that the longer we live, the bigger the strain on healthcare systems such as the NHS. Also, the social care sector will likely suffer as we will require more care as we live towards our 90’s.

Where will this funding come from? Well, either cuts will be made, taxes increased or a longer working age will be introduced. These are just some of the realities we’ll face with an ageing population.

Should we give up the ghost?

Some people say that living into your nineties and beyond just isn’t worth it if there’s no quality in life. The loss of faculties can make day to day life unhappy, however there’s plenty of centenarians that are still fit and well, and living independently.

With the improvements in health care more and more of us could live up to such ages and with extensive research into diseases such as Alzheimer’s, people’s outlook on old age could dramatically change.

There’s also more faces in the media nowadays whom are prime examples of older people, who are fit, well and enjoying life. This gives more of a positive outlook on later life.

Queen Elizabeth, June Brown, Bruce Forsyth, Prince Phillip, Betty White, and Olivia De Havilland are to name a few.

So what are you’re views on living into you’re 90’s and beyond? Should science stop trying to extend life beyond a certain age?