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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Looking forward to a general theory on population aging | | Author(s) | Jean-Marie Robine, Jean-Pierre Michel |
| Journal title | Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, vol 59A, no 6, June 2004 |
| Pages | pp 590-597 |
| Source | http://www.geron.org |
| Keywords | Ageing process ; Theory. |
| Annotation | The main theories on population ageing based on recent data on human longevity, life expectancy, morbidity changes, disability trends and mortality decrease are presented and discussed within their own geographic, cultural, socio-economic and medical contexts. The complex interactions between all these components do not facilitate trend forecasting of ageing population (healthy ageing versus disability pandemic). In the context of population ageing, four elements are introduced with their implications. First, an increase in the survival rates of sick people which would explain the explosion of morbidity. Second, a control of the progression of chronic diseases, which would explain a subtle equilibrium between the decrease in mortality and the increase in disability. Third, an improvement in the health status and health behaviours of new cohorts of older people, which would explain a new expansion of morbidity, leading eventually to the fourth, an emergence of very old and frail populations, which would explain a new expansion of morbidity. All these elements exist now, and future trend scenarios - expansion or compression of disability - depend on their respective weights leading to the need to elaborate "a general theory on population ageing". This theory has to be based on a world harmonisation of functional decline measurements and a periodic "International Ageing Survey" to monitor global ageing through a sample of carefully selected countries. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-040817210 A |
| Classmark | BG: 4D |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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