Improved healthcare means more people are now living longer
In the coming decades, the demographic composition of almost all populations in the developed world will change substantially with dramatic increases in the numbers of elderly people.
This change will impact individual healthcare needs and associated healthcare costs. At the same time, the shift will result in an increase in the dependency ratio – a shrinking working population will be obliged to finance the healthcare, pensions and other services required by burgeoning elderly populations.*
The elderly are the highest users of health and care services. Higher rates of chronic disease are found in older people, not least as a result of medical advances and technological improvements, which mean that people are now living longer than ever with disease, and often with multiple chronic conditions.
Among the most common chronic diseases to be faced by older people is dementia, with the number of sufferers worldwide expected to rise from the current 36 million to 66 million by 2030.
For this reason, Bupa is focused on advancing and improving aged care, particularly for those people living with dementia.
*Dependency ratio can be defined as an age-population ratio of those typically not in the labour force (the dependent part) and those typically in the labour force (the productive part).
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Bupa is a world leader in aged care, providing dementia, nursing and residential care to nearly 29,000 people in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
Clinical governance is provided by a group of clinical experts who sit on the Bupa Board’s Medical Advisory Panel.
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