C3 Societal effects of an ageing population GapFill

In 2020, the average life   engagementcourseexpectancydisengagement for males was 78.7 years and for females 82.2 years in the UK.  The number of older people in the UK also continues to increase in the same way life expectancy has over the past century.  In 2018, people over 65 made up 18 per cent of the population.  This means there are more adults needing care or who are struggling to live  in homesindependentlywith familyin hospital, and who are also not economically active.  This has a considerable impact on the costs and delivery of services in the UK.

The potential need for help from health and social care services increases with age.  For example, 30 per cent of people over  45358575 are likely to need care and support in their own  homestownslivesrelationships or in residential care.  They are also more likely to access mental health services and are twice as likely to be an  unworthyunusualunnecessaryemergency admission.  As demand from older people increases, so does the strain on these services.  The  governmentministermafiamanagement has also been known to cut funding to local councils, which may then reduce their budget for care.  This means, according to Age UK, that there are about two million older people who may not able to access it.  In addition to this, if they require  enhancementsrepairsadaptationsvisitors to their home to enable them to maintain their independence, such as stair lifts or wet rooms, they may be asked to pay towards the cost.

Current research predicts that the UK’s population will continue to age and live even longer.  This means there will be a greater challenge to be faced in finding the resources to provide adequate health or social care in the future, or new approaches to the provision of care that are more  sociallyphysicallyeconomically ergonomically efficient.