The Positive and Negative Implications of People Living Longer - Case Study Example

Advantages and Disadvantages of People Living Longer Introduction Current life expectancy surveys indicate that in most societies today, the life expectancy age is much higher. These findings can be attributed to the fact that since the 1940’s, there have been phenomenal developments in the health sector which has lowered child mortality and has reduced disease-related deaths among adults (Johnson & De Souza, 2008, p. 36). Due to the improvement in life expectancy, most societies today have a much larger population of elderly people. This paper reviews both the positive and negative implications of people living longer. This review will explicate the fact that when people live longer, it is both beneficial and detrimental to the societies in which they live. Main Body To start with, research has shown that contrary to the perception that when people live longer they are merely burden to society; there are actually some very significant benefits if people live longer. For instance, when people live longer lives, they are a valuable asset to society because of the vast amount of knowledge they have acquired about different issues throughout their lives. While old people may often be perceived as ancient and outdated, it is indisputable that the present-day advancements in most spheres of life were borne out of foundations that were set up when those who are in their old age today were younger (Johnson & De Souza, 2008, p. 24). As such, the opinions and expertise that can be attained from those who have lived long are invaluable to society. While the opinions of the elderly may not be given from a professional standpoint, the mere fact that they have spent more time alive makes their opinions worth seeking. For instance, in the current tough economic times, most people forget that there are people who have lived, and survived tougher economic times during the economic depressions that followed the two world wars. In this situation therefore, the opinion of someone who lived through both wars is clearly invaluable to society. Another advantage of people living longer is that they are able to pass on positive societal values to the younger generation. During recent decades, societies globally have been able to get rid of values that were detrimental to society. Such values include male chauvinism and racism. However, societies have also adopted some values that are of no benefit to them. In fact, the family unit which is the most basic unit of any society has been negatively affected by the current trend of doing away with any value that is considered ‘traditional’ irrespective of whether or not such values are positive (Dickens, 2010, p. 127). Because of this, entire societies are on the brink of chaos. It is therefore beneficial that there are people who have lived longer in society. This is because; even though some of the values that were instilled in such old people in their earlier days may not be perfect, they were obviously practical since earlier societies did not experience the sort of anarchy that is experienced in most societies today. Since older people eventually retire and spend a lot of time with their families, this is very beneficial to society since this time can be spent guiding younger family members. Such guidance can be very insightful since older people have had more experience living life and they are aware of the values that were beneficial and those that weren’t. Seeing as all old people were once young people who had dreams and aspirations of their own, the advice they offer young family members on how to pursue such inspirations is also invaluable (Dickens, 2010, p. 128). Studies have shown that even though it was the norm for most old people to opt for retirement and live off their pension just a little over a decade ago, this trend is slowly changing. More and more people are opting to work past their retirement age. This is beneficial to the society for several reasons. Firstly, since times are hard economically, most sectors of the economy require the skilled expertise that most old people posses. Reliance on a largely unskilled younger workforce would only lead to more economic problems. Besides, since an unskilled workforce often requires extra training, this would only cost organizations more in times when the cost of production is already too high. As such, when people live longer and are able to work for long, they are an asset to a society’s economy (Dickens, 2010, p. 143). When people live longer and work for a longer period, this is beneficial to the family unit since the income they earn can be used to supplement the income generated by the younger family members. In current times when the cost of social amenities such as education and health has increased drastically, such supplements are invaluable. It is also important to note that in some societies today, the number of employable younger people is very low. In such cases, when people live longer, they can continue to meet the high labor demands in the economy. Other studies suggest that even in cases where people who have lived longer opt to retire from employment, they may still remain some of the net contributors in a society’s economy. This is because; there is a rise in the trend of older people who have retired to take on care-giving and volunteer responsibilities which younger people are unwilling to take. Even though such responsibilities may seem menial, they contribute a lot to the economy. In view of these facts, it is definitely beneficial to society when people live longer and work for a longer period. Another benefit that societies can get when people live longer is free access to facts about historical events. Besides having knowledge about the economy, politics and societal values, older people are also very valuable since they are living record keepers of history. While it may be quite informative to read books about historical events such as the holocaust, reading such books cannot be compared to getting the facts of such an event from a person who lived during the holocaust. It is therefore beneficial to the society when people live longer since important details (that may or may not be already recorded) about historical events can be passed on to the younger generations. The provision of such knowledge by the elderly has in the past helped to correct some of the inaccuracies or even incorrect accounts that may have been recorded in books about certain events. In spite of the above advantages of people living longer, there are also a myriad of problems in various societies that can be attributed to the fact that people are living longer. For example, since the body’s immune systems and body organs deteriorate as one grows older; the incidences of disease among older people are much higher (Taylor & Field, 2007, pp. 24-25). This means that people are likely to spend more and more money on healthcare as they age. In view of this fact, it is inevitable that when people live longer, members of their families have to deal with high medical bills. This is especially so if the old have no pension or savings that can be used by their family members to subsidize the cost of treating them (Taylor & Field, 2007, pp. 24-25). In cases, where the younger family members of older people are too busy with other obligations to care for them if they are bedridden, they have to incur the additional cost of paying for employed caregivers. In addition to the financial burden of caring for an old person when their health starts failing, the family also has to bear an emotional burden. This is because; it is painful and heartbreaking to care for an old person who is constantly in hospital. Since the probability of full recovery is quite low in old patients whose bodies are weak, their families have to endure watching them suffer even when they are aware that such suffering may not end. In addition to this, some of the medical conditions that are prevalent among the older population include Alzheimer’s and dementia and it can be very disheartening for family members to watch their older relatives deal with such conditions (Moody, 2006, p. 214). Studies that have been conducted in both the US and the UK show that in both regions, the number of people who are living longer is on the increase. If these numbers continue to rise, societies will be at a great disadvantage. This is because; the number of old people in society may easily surpass the number of new births given the current birth trends. If such a scenario occurs, it could cause a troubling imbalance in society. If people continue to live longer without a corresponding rise in the number of new births, a problem is bound to arise when the older generation becomes dependent and requires care since the young people available to offer such care will be too few (Moody, 2006, p. 214). This may increase reliance on facilities such as homes for the elderly which are a great financial burden. Given the fact the ratio of old people to young people is already higher in some societies; the trend of people living longer is definitely already a disadvantage. Another disadvantage of people living longer is the fact that younger members of society could be burdened with the responsibility of providing funds for more costly pension schemes for the old. Currently the governments of most nations, including the US, offer to provide pensions for their elderly population. In cases where an elderly person is not employed, their pension scheme is fully funded by the government. Currently, most pension schemes are paid out on a monthly basis from the date of retirement until the beneficiary dies. If people live longer, the duration that the government is required to pay out their pension is longer and thus a more costly pension fund is required. Since the government derives much of its revenue from taxation, the burden of funding a more costly pension fund is shouldered by the younger members of the society who, in mostly cases, already have other responsibilities to cater for (Alcock, May, & Wright, 2011, p. 248). This problem is even more complex in societies where taxpayers are already paying very high taxes in order to cater for other types of government spending. Even in cases where a government may not rely on an increase in taxation rates in order to fund pensions for older people, it is probable that such governments may use reserve funds or even funds that are set aside for other uses. This is ultimately detrimental to the society as a whole since the government’s ability to provide other essential services to both the young and the old is compromised. In addition to this, another disadvantage of people living longer is unemployment. As mentioned earlier in this paper, studies have shown that older employees are opting to continue working even once they reach their retirement age. This is detrimental to the society since it means that fewer and fewer employment positions are available for the younger generation of society members to fill. This scenario may lead to a vicious cycle of unemployment since present day young people get employment when they are in their mid-age which means that they will also probably work past their retirement age and this will cause unemployment for future generations. Unemployment destabilizes societies’ economic systems and this affects all other spheres of societal life negatively (Haydock & Sass, 2008, p. 165). Besides unemployment, when people live longer and work longer, another negative impact is lack of change in workplaces. When places of work, employ a mostly elderly staff, there is a tendency to implement necessary changes very slowly and reluctantly. This may affect the overall economy of a society negatively. Conclusion On the whole, it is evident that the phenomena of people living longer affect societies both positively and negatively. Currently, most members of society focus a bit too much on the negative. However, since research clearly indicates that the number of old people is rising steadily, the prudent and practical solution is to plan for the inevitable high population of old people. Such planning should be focused on ensuring that, while healthcare makes it possible for people to live longer, societies should balance the other end of the scale by finding solutions to the factors that may hinder societies from maximizing the advantages of people living longer. Reference List Alcock, P., May, M., & Wright, S. (2011). The Students Companion to Social Policy. John Wiley & Sons. Dickens, J. (2010). Social work and social policy: an introduction. Taylor & Francis. Haydock, A., & Sass, S. A. (2008). Working Longer: The Solution to the Retirement Income Challenge. Brookings Institution Press. Johnson, J., & De Souza, C. (2008). Understanding Health and Social Care; An Introductory Reader. SAGE Publications. Moody, H. R. (2006). Aging: Concepts and Controversies. Pine Forge Press. Taylor, S., & Field, D. (2007). Sociology of Health and Health Care (4 ed.). Wiley- Blackwell. Read More