Do you feel that society will be able to cope with the increase in numbers of elderly people today and how can it be managed? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

An ageing population is a worrisome phenomenon which poses multifarious challenges to our society. In order to successfully handle these challenges, the government needs to devote financial and manpower resources presciently.

First

and foremost, the medical infrastructure we have needs to be expanded and upgraded. Irrefutably, the elderly use more medical resources and

hence

we need more hospitals, doctors and nurses. Construction of hospitals takes

time

, and so as training personnel to operate them.

Moreover

, we

also

need to educate people to live healthier lifestyles so as to reduce their reliance on

public

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the public

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medical system.

For example

, studies have already proven that smokers have a higher chance of getting lung cancer, so anti-smoking advertisements are likely to have some effects on reducing the pressure on cancer-related departments in hospitals.

Besides

catering to the elderly's physical health, their psychological health

also

cannot be ignored. The government should start to train more social workers, build more community centres and support more community groups. In these community centres, the silver hair can socialize and know more friends. Through

these

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,these

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they can know where to get help, have somebody to talk to and are less probable to get depression.

For example

, the mechanism in Switzerland, which is literally a mutual-help scheme that offers tax-free services to the public, is quite commendable in my opinion. There is a

time

bank mechanism there, and each citizen has a

time

bank book. A younger individual can choose tasks he is capable of doing,

such

as taking an elderly to a hospital or just spending an hour talking with him, in order to accumulate '

time

balance'. His '

time

balance' can

then

be spent when he gets old. In conclusion, if we roll up our sleeves and get to work now, focusing on the physical and psychological health of the elderly righteously, we have good odds to manage the challenges caused by an ageing population properly.