In recent decades, there has been a notable trend where an increasing number of individuals in several countries are living longer than ever before. While this practice may have some disadvantages, I would believe that a high percentage of elderly people expanding their life span can make a great contribution to their own lives and to the society as a whole.
On one hand, the trend of people expanding their life cycle could place a serious strain on health care system of a country. The higher number of elderly people is leading to a higher demand for healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes, along with support staff, which could create long waiting lists for public medical assistance. Japan, where the longevity has become a prominent issue, is a prime example of this challenge, with a plethora of older generations in need of such medical care. This, in turn, could lead to a scarcity of healthcare facilities, thereby having a harmful on the overall well-being of the population. Therefore, the challenges associated with an aging population pose disadvantages for a country.
On the other hand, despite such a negative aspect of longevity, I firmly believe that individuals and society could gain some significant benefits from this demographic. On a personal scale, as elderly individuals can expand their life span, they are more likely to be able to enjoy their own lives in more meaningful ways including deepening the knowledge and garnering more experiences in some desirable fields that may have been accessible at a younger age. Therefore, those can greatly contribute their talents, effort, experience and ample time to society. Accordingly, such well-trained and skilled labor force, on a societal scale, play an important role in the economic development. This can be justifiably seen in Korea, whose economy is ranked as one of the tops in Asia thanks to a large number of experienced experts who are aging.
Considering all aspects of the aging population, I am more convinced that this phenomenon brings numerous benefits to elderly individuals and society. Not only does this offers the elderly opportunities to enjoy their lives more meaningfully, but it also enhances the overall development of a country’s economy. Additionally, it is imperative that governments should take concrete actions to ease the pressure that the longevity could place on healthcare system, thereby ensuring the public’s overall health conditions.