In many countries around the world, life expectancy is increasing. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this situation and give your own opinion.

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Medical care over the past century has improved dramatically. As a consequence, the world's population is increasingly living long into old age. Is
this
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having a harmful effect on societies across the globe, or are there more benefits than drawbacks? One obvious issue with an ageing population is that it can create enormous demands on a nation's
health
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service. As people live longer into their old age, the chances of them suffering from serious illnesses increases.
As a result
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, the likelihood of them requiring medical treatment becomes higher, and it becomes more difficult to provide care for everyone. A
further
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downside is that living longer does not necessarily bring happiness. By
this
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I mean, an older person is unable to do many of the activities that they want to do, leading to the likelihood of depression and a deterioration in their physical
health
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. Having said that, one obvious benefit to people living longer is that young people can benefit for a longer time from the wisdom handed down to them by older members of their families. In today's fast-paced world, it is often comforting to seek advice from older generations.
Consequently
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, the physical
health
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of a grandparent is almost irrelevant, as the children and grandchildren will benefit from the experience of an older mind. What is more, retired people today are generally much healthier than they have ever been, and often enjoy their lives more than they did when they were young. They have the best of both worlds- a family that can care for and look up to them, and better
health
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than at any time in human history. Weighing up both sides of the argument again,
although
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there are a number of problems that old age brings- predominantly
health
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-related - the benefits that it brings to the family unit and to society as a whole are impossible to ignore.(
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  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
    • Sentence 1 - Background statement
    • Sentence 2 - Detailed background statement
    • Sentence 3 - Thesis
    • Sentence 4 - Outline sentence
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
    • Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
    • Sentence 2 - Example
    • Sentence 3 - Discussion
    • Sentence 4 - Conclusion
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
    • Sentence 1 - Topic sentence
    • Sentence 2 - Example
    • Sentence 3 - Discussion
    • Sentence 4 - Conclusion
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion
    • Sentence 1 - Summary
    • Sentence 2 - Restatement of thesis
    • Sentence 3 - Prediction or recommendation

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • life expectancy
  • demographics
  • societal development
  • healthcare system
  • pension funds
  • multigenerational
  • workforce
  • economic sustainability
  • intergenerational inequality
  • longevity
  • proactive policy
  • geriatrics
  • senior citizens
  • ageing population
  • fertility rates
  • dependency ratio
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