Aging is Society's Problem Too

 

 

For many of us, growing older is a personal issue. An issue for us and our families to sort through and deal with. But the fact is that, globally, aging populations are a demographic time bomb that is mostly being ignored by nations and societies. The world is experiencing a seismic demographic shift—and no country is immune to the consequences

By 2050, there will be 10 billion people on earth, compared to 7.7 billion today—and many of them will be living longer. Much longer. As a result, the number of elderly people per 100 working-age people will nearly triple—from 20 in 1980, to 58 in 2060. That's right. There will be nearly 3 times more elderly people for those young, working age people to support as there are now. Globally, the working-age population will see a 10% decrease by 2060. It will fall the most drastically, by 35% or more, in Greece, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

There are many other social and economic changes that we can come to expect as the global population continues to age, including:

• With more people claiming pension benefits but less people paying income taxes, the shrinking workforce may be forced to pay higher and higher taxes. How long will they be willing to do so?
  
• As we have discussed before, longer lives do not necessarily mean healthier lives, with those over 65 more likely to have at least one chronic disease and require expensive, long-term care. Where will that money come from?
• Changing workforces may lead capital to flow away from rapidly aging countries to younger countries, shifting the global distribution of economic power. Standards of living will rise in a few places, such as India, but decline in many others.
  
• The strain on pension systems is perhaps the most evident sign of a drastically aging population. Although the average retirement age is gradually increasing in many countries, people are saving insufficiently for their increased life span—resulting in an estimated $400 trillion deficit by 2050. Who will pay for that?
  
• A pension is promised, but not necessarily guaranteed. Any changes made to existing government programs can alter the lives of future retirees entirely—but effective pension reforms that lessen the growing deficit are politically risky and so mostly ignored. How long can it be ignored?
  

Societies will have to divert a larger and larger share of national income to support a growing population of retirees. Many are already far along this path. Figures released by the United Nations Population Division show that Asia is at the forefront of this trend with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan expected to have the highest share at roughly 40 percent of their populations aged 65 and older by 2050. But Western Europe and North America are not far behind.

What does a world with billions of elderly people look like? Here is a preview.

 

When is Food Unsafe to Eat?

 

Best if used by. Use before. Sell by. Expires on. Fresh until. Born on. Guaranteed fresh until. Freeze by. Best if used before.

Consumer uncertainty about the meaning of the dates that appear on the labels of packaged foods is believed to contribute to about 20 percent of food waste in the home. “Imagine this: You go to your favorite supermarket and come out with three bags full of groceries. Before you get in your car, you toss one of those bags in the garbage. Sound ridiculous? Of course it does, but that’s in essence what food waste looks like every day across our country,” says Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response.

Date labels are generally not required on packaged foods. While manufacturers are prohibited from placing false or misleading information on a label, they are not required to obtain agency approval of the voluntary quality-based date labels they use or specify how they arrived at the date they’ve applied. Manufacturers generally apply date labels at their own discretion and for a variety of reasons. The most common is to inform consumers and retailers of the date up to which they can expect the food to retain its desired quality and flavor.

To help dispel this confusion, the FDA is supporting the food industry's efforts to standardize the use of the term “Best if Used By” on its packaged-food labeling if the date is simply related to optimal quality — not safety. Studies have shown that this best conveys to consumers that these products do not have to be discarded after the date if they are stored properly.

Is your confusion dispelled? 

Here is some practical advice from Jill Roberts, a food safety researcher and associate professor of global health at the University of South Florida.

Basically, if it isn't moldy and doesn't smell bad, its probably fine.

Why is Dental Care not Healthcare?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention, about one-quarter of Americans 65 and older have lost all of their teeth. One-third have untreated tooth decay, even though poor dental health is linked to heart problems and other health concerns seniors already face, such as diabetes. Almost 8,000 people in the United States die of oral and pharyngeal cancers every year, most of them elderly. But the problem is not limited to seniors. Children from lower-income families are twice as likely to have tooth decay

The bottom line is that although healthy teeth are essential for good overall health, they have never really been considered a part of the body by many insurers and third-party payers. Even though the links between oral health and numerous other conditions such as heart disease, pneumonia and fetal health are well known, more than 180 million Americans never visit a dentist.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) brought health insurance coverage to millions of people who had never had it before. Not only did the sweeping changes put an end to exclusions for pre-existing conditions, but healthcare reform also designated 10 “essential benefits” that insurers must include in their plans, such as treatment for mental health problems and drug and alcohol abuse.

The idea was to provide coverage for things that could improve a person’s overall health at a relatively low cost. The theory? Keep people healthy by taking care of small problems before they become big, expensive ones.

The partition between dental and medical makes little sense given that “oral health is directly related to general health,” says Dr. Garry Glassman, an endodontist based in Toronto, Canada who also practices in the U.S. “The oral cavity is a gateway to your body. A lot of stuff in the mouth can indicate kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, HPV, cancer, etc. Your dentist can be your first line of defense.”

Even if you do have dental insurance it is likely restricted to only certain procedures and carries an absurdly low annual payout cap - often $1,200. So why does something as basic as dental care continue to take a back seat, even with the new emphasis on preventive medicine?

The answer, apparently, is "because that is how it has always been".

Despite it being a plainly medical issue, until the 1800s, dentistry was the domain of barbershops, practiced in the same chair and usually by the same guy who shaved your beard. It’s so bizarre and frightful an image that it’s almost comical, but the history of our teeth and jaws being treated as something as incidental as our hair and nails still haunts us.

Meanwhile, millions of non-wealthy people continue to suffer the genuine agony and negative health consequences of bad teeth. Read more here.

What Really Works to Lower the Odds of Age Related Dementia?

When I was a child, and dinosaurs roamed the earth, the thing everyone whispered about in hushed tones was c..a..n..c..e..r. As if speaking of it would invite it into the house. Somewhere between then and now that-which-shall-not-be-spoken-of became d..e..m..e..n..t..i..a.

Now I admit that both of these are pretty scary, at least to me. But cancer prevention and treatment has advanced light years since the 1960s. And with people living longer and treatments - let alone a cure - for dementia basically non-existent, perhaps it has earned it place as our biggest fear. And wherever there is fear there is a product that promises to deliver you from its cause. In fact, the Global Wellness Institute estimates that the market for "mental wellness" was $121B in 2020.

Do any of these products work? Despite the shaky claims of "clinical proof", mostly not. Does that mean it is hopeless and all we can do is cower in fear and hope for good luck? Of course not.

Here are 7 things that anyone can do to improve their memory and increase the odds of avoiding dementia as we age, from neuroscience expert Marc Milstein (with the added advantage of being things that actually work). 

Seven Rules for Boosting Memory and Fighting Off Dementia

Successful Aging

 

Healthy aging is all the rage. It seems like there is a new product every week that promises good health to a ripe old age. But I would like to take a deeper dive, past healthy aging to successful aging.

Being healthy is, of course, a key part of a happy old age. Few things can limit your options and choices more stringently than an illness or a "wear and tear" condition like arthritis. But a truly happy and, let us say, successful senior lifetime involves more than only good health. So for the sake of clarity, let me define "successful aging". Your definition may differ, and that is fine, but here is mine:

"Aging successfully is having the physical, mental, social and financial resources and ability to live life the way that you want to live it at whatever age you are."

As you see, this takes it beyond only health and wellness. So while I don't intend to abandon my focus on that, I will be expanding it into these other important areas as well. And remember, at the end of the day (or life) if you are happy with your life then you are successful.