It is true that people in industrialised nations expect to live longer than ever before. Although there will undoubtedly be some negative consequences of this trend, societies can take steps to mitigate these potential problems.
As people live longer and the population of developed countries, some related problems could be anticipated. The main issue is that there will obviously be more people of retirement age who will be eligible to receive a pension. The proportion of younger, working adults will be smaller, and governments therefore will receive less money in taxes in relation to the size of the population. In other words, an ageing population will mean a greater tax burden for working adults. Further pressures will include a rise in the demand for healthcare, and the fact that young adults will increasingly have to look after their elderly relatives.
There are several actions that governments could take to solve the aforementioned problems. Firstly, a simple solution would be to increase the retirement age, perhaps from 65 to 70. Nowadays, people of this age tend to be healthy enough to continue a productive working life. The second measure would be for governments to encourage immigration in order to increase the number of working adults who pay taxes. Finally, money from national budgets will be taken from other areas to be spent on vital healthcare, accommodation and transport facilities for the rising number of older citizens.
In conclusion, various measures can be taken to tackle the problems that are certain to arise as the populations of countries grow older.