In many countries, the proportion of older people is steadily increasing. Does this trend have positive or negative effects on society?

Technological development and medical increase are contributed to the extension of life expectancy and some countries have seen a significant population ageing condition. Personally, the problems of

this

demographic change far outweigh its positive impact. One problem is that governments have to increase the expenditure on social health care. Elderly people are prone to health problems and there are a number of age-related diseases,

such

as Parkinson and Alzheimer. When the governments pour money into the medical system, they have to cut the budget for the other same important issues like education, infrastructure projects, scientific research, and so forth. It will

also

impose a heavy burden on taxpayers. Another problem is that increased senior workers may influence the productivity of the whole society. With age, most elderly people struggle with cognitive decline result in poor performance in handling difficult tasks and processing information. If they prolong their working lives, it may have an adverse impact on social productivity and profitability.

On the other hand

, the older generation’s experience and wisdom are regarded as valuable assets to the whole society. They are more likely to impart their knowledge and skills to the younger generation as they delay retirement.

For instance

, experienced engineers could teach junior colleagues how to avoid some engineering safety problems. In conclusion, the increased ageing population can impose a strain on the medical system and undermine the productivity of the whole society.

Although

we can tap into their experience and wisdom, we still cannot ignore these difficult social issues.