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BBC News recently commented on a study published in the Lancet journal that shows more than half the babies now born in the UK and other wealthy nations will live to be 100 years old.  The data from the study indicates that these extra years would be spent with less serious disabilities for the elderly.

The researchers, from the Danish Aging Research Center, refer to “four ages of man”-child, adult, young old age and old old age. Surprisingly, there was little evidence that those who belonged in the old old age group were unhealthier that those in the young old age group likely because the frailest elderly died first leaving the more robust to survive past the age of 85. Danish and American studies show that about 30%-40% of those falling into the old old group live independently.

Of course, such a development requires countries to reform their health-care services, employment practices, and care services. In the U.K., with an election looming, the Tory party has promised a Home Protection Plan that would allow people at the age of 65 to make a one time payment plan of £8,000 pounds in exchange for free full-time residential care in later life. This proposed policy addresses the issue of the elderly having to sell their houses in exchange for funding care giving services.

A significant longer life expectancy requires careful retirement and estate planning. If this trend towards increased life expectancy continues, long standing assumptions will have to be altered.

Thanks for reading,

Diane Vieira

Diane Vieira - Click here for more inforamtion on Diane Vieira.

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Comparisons of life expectancy across different regions of Canada suggest that Southern, Urban dwellers in mid-size cities tend to live the longest. Northern groups, particularly those with large aboriginal segments, tend to face a much grimmer situation, according to this 2000 article,living approximately 4 years less on average.

Some encouraging news is that the country’s average life expectancy continues to rise. Of particular interest to me: men are approaching women in terms of life expectancy, although we’re not quite there yet. As against the rest of the world, Canada just barely cracks the top ten according to Wikipedia with an average life expectancy of 80.34, trailing number 1 Andorra’s (Andorra - who knew?) average lifespan of 83.52 years.  Swazilanders, with an average lifespan of 39.6 years, have the terrible distinction of being at the bottom of the list.

Women apparently live longer than men in every region except South Asia.

As would be expected, there seems to be an obvious and very strong correlation between level of industrialization and overall wealth and longer lifespan.

Are you feeling optimistic? Try this Life Expectancy Test to get a sense of the factors affecting you.

Thanks for reading.

Sean Graham