In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations.

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In developed countries,
people
are living longer than ever. In
this
essay
Add a comma
essay,
show examples
I will discuss some of the challenges
this
brings and propose ways in which the consequences of a rise in the number of older citizens can be mitigated.
While
the addition of a decade or more onto our lives can be wonderful, there are inevitably challenges that will arise for the individual. One of these is the onset of debilitating diseases
such
as
alzheimers
Correct your spelling
Alzheimer
and diabetes. These diseases not only make it difficult to continue to enjoy a normal life but
also
put a great strain on other members of the family who may have to bear much of the burden of
care
financially and/or physically. Another issue is the financial strain the elderly themselves can be under. If they
retired
Wrong verb form
retire
show examples
at the age of 65 but live beyond 90, they may well find that their savings run out and they become either destitute or reliant on state or family
care
. Clearly,
society
as a whole is impacted as well. As an increasing proportion of a country’s resources end up being dedicated to the
care
of the elderly,
much needed
Add a hyphen
much-needed
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funds are taken away from other areas of
society
such
as schooling and security. In the UK,
for example
, the budget for aged
care
has risen by millions of pounds, though it is still not enough to provide adequate
care
for pensioners. Meanwhile, schools and law enforcement have had their budgets slashed, to the detriment of education standards and public safety. In order to adapt to
this
new reality, several steps can be taken. The most obvious one would be to increase the age of retirement. Rather than force
people
to give up work at 65, which could eventually place them in dire financial circumstances, healthy individuals should be encouraged to continue working longer.
This
would mean more taxes paid, and less money flowing out into pensions. A second simple measure would be to prioritise preventative healthcare.
In other words
, rather than wait for aged
people
to develop illnesses, the government should subsidise exercise programs,
nutrition
Correct word choice
and nutrition
show examples
classes, and even fund practitioners to conduct home visits in order to keep elderly
people
active members of
society
for longer. In conclusion, we can see clearly that both individuals and
society
are struggling to find a way to deal with increasing life expectancy. Increasing the retirement age and providing early health services are just two ways the authorities can work to reduce the pressure
of
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on
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ageing populations.
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Use cohesive linking words accurately and appropriately

Linking words are very important in your essay.

To score effectively on your IELTS exam, you should make an effort to implement short concise sentences coupled with linking words.

Almost every sentence in your essay should have a linking word of some sort.

In fact, the only sentences that can omit linking words are your background sentence and thesis.

Linking word examples:

  • firstly
  • secondly
  • thirdly
  • in additional
  • moreover
  • also
  • for example
  • for instance
  • therefore
  • however
  • although
  • even though
  • despite

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • average life expectancy
  • developed world
  • increase
  • individuals
  • society
  • personal goals
  • ambitions
  • quality of life
  • leisure
  • recreation
  • healthcare costs
  • challenges
  • healthcare system
  • ageing population
  • shortage
  • available workers
  • economy
  • retirement planning
  • healthy lifestyles
  • investing
  • social support systems
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