Traditionally, old age has been associated with a negative concept: withdrawal from society, frailty or the end of life. In contrast to this meaning, lSociologist Irene LeBrossan suggests the term longevity, “which moves us away from this false negative connotation.”As he explained in the symposium New longevityorganized by the Social Observatory of the “La Caixa” Foundation in Cap Roig Gardens Last April.
Over two days, doctors, economists and social scientists brought to the table an interdisciplinary view of this matter, not in search of answers, but in search of answersFind the right questions to “help make sense” of this shift toward longevity In areas such as health, care, economics, work, education, identity or new social relationships.
Jorge Leeson, Associate Professor at the Population Aging Institute at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor of Demography at the University of Guanajuato León (Mexico), highlighted several data related to overpopulation, such as for example: A third of children born in the UK today will live to be 100 years old. For Leeson, the twenty-first century will undoubtedly be the century of centenarians. Despite this, the professor expressed his concern about the slowness of governments in adapting to these changes and their implications.
Professor Adelina Comas, an economist and researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Director of the Global Observatory for Long-Term Care (GOLTC), added that In the coming years, the demand for care services will increase significantly. “The main challenge is that in almost every country in the world we have not yet accepted that this is happening and the consequences. Those who design appropriate policies are the exception,” he noted.
In collaboration with other speakers, topics such as the new model of more pandemic-resistant housing, the role of the public and private sectors, care from a scientific point of view, and future aging were discussed.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, in 2050 there will be 3.7 million centenarians in the world, which represents a “major challenge.”
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