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

Thanks to the improvement of living standards worldwide, an increasing number of dwellers are able to live longer than before, which brings both advantages and disadvantages on the societal level. From my perspective, I believe it may suffer more in the long run, if proper measures are not taken to address the problem. One social problem related to population ageing is that medical costs will increase dramatically and hurt the economy. The need for medical care

as well as

the spending on it tends to increase with

age

. Elderly people are prone to health problems

such

as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, so a country with a large proportion of aged people has to fuel the expenditure on medical services to treat ageing-related conditions.

This

leads to a budget cut for education, infrastructure projects and scientific research, which can affect a

society

adversely not only in the quality of life but

also

in long-term economic growth. Another issue is that the productivity of the whole

society

will drop with the growth of an ageing workforce. The

society

termed “ageing” normally has to raise the pension eligibility

age

to keep the pension scheme up and running

as a result

senior citizens are forced to prolong their retirement

age

. Unfortunately, most of them struggle with cognitive decline and other conditions which can limit their ability to process information and handle work,

thus

crippling productivity and profitability.

This

will be a major contributor to exacerbating economic and social progress.

On the other hand

, it is possible that communities and neighbourhoods can tap into the wisdom and experience of elderly people. Having worked for decades, they are experts in their fields of work and have specialist knowledge and work-related tips that they can share with younger generations. Senior scientists,

for example

, cannot only devote more time and effort to their careers but

also

impart useful practical experience and methods to their students, thereby making greater contributions to the public.

This

would not happen if they were unable to live long lives as a great many of their counterparts died at an early

age

in the 1900s. In conclusion,

although

it is beneficial to

society

when life expectancy is prolonged in some aspects, the issue will take a toll on the country in future if we do not take action as soon as possible.