Human longevity is increasing over time
In the modern world, with the advance of technology, the expectancy of human is gradually increasing. Most people suppose that this tendency is positive, but it has also affected individuals and society. Our essay will show a general view including some disadvantages about this problem. It also suggests some of the solutions to this issue.
Firstly, increasing life expectancy is believed to put pressure on the healthcare system. Nowadays, medical researchers tend to study on how to reduce the causes of deaths rather than how to deal with age-related problems which are consequences of living longer. According to Brown (2014), more than 80% over 85- year-old people living in UK suffered from disability and 41% people between at the age of 90 and 94 had a dementia, whereas the average lifespan was twice as high as that in the 20th century. Moreover, this increase can also be a factor causing to the lack of nurses and care workers. Families in developed countries today are having less time to look after the elderly (Sigurðsson, 2017), so nurses and other healthcare services, which are insufficient to meet their demand, are undoubtedly in need.
Secondly, it affects the economy, there is an evidence showing that the rise in life expectancy can cause to several issues in term of shrinking labor markets and rising government expenditure. Additionally, the public spending on healthcare has definitely risen due to the need of the elderly people. Brown(2014) wrote: "Age-related spending by EU governnment was equivalent to 25% of GDP in 2010, and is projected to rise to 30% in 2060". Therefore, the increase life expectancy would be challenge for governments to address.
To solve these matters, there are two main solutions. First, thanks to the technology such as robot and camera, the healthcare system has been improved substantially. For instance, the elderly patients can be checked regularly and remotely without having to see the doctor directly (Sigurðsson, 2017). Furthermore, volunteerism is another effective solution to reduce not only the number of careworkers but also the government expenditure. In fact, Sigurðsson (2017) claimed that Japan has not had to spend the intense expenditure on building nursing home because millions of trained volunteers can take charge of being as nurses.
In conclusion, it's undoubted that increasing average life expectancy is a positive trend However, it also has some affects to health system and economy; therefore; governments should have immediate actions to solve this issue.