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NEWS > HEALTH > SENIORS DYING FASTER THAN YOUNG PEOPLE, DOCTORS CONCERNED

SENIORS DYING FASTER THAN YOUNG PEOPLE, DOCTORS CONCERNED

Feb 4 2008

Geneva, Switzerland – A study just recently released by The World Health Organization has brought attention to a disturbing new trend in most of the Western world. Conducted over the course of four years, the study shows an unsettling imbalance in death rates between the young and old.

Countries included in the study were Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom, and The United States. All have shown significantly increased death rates for people over the age of sixty-five, versus their younger counterparts.

A number of factors have been stated as to the cause of this sudden shift; better eating habits, reduction in pollution, and exercise chief among them. Psychological components were also factored into the study.

“We found, generally, that people over a certain age realize they have fewer days ahead of them than they have behind them. This can be a major psychological factor in longevity,” says the study’s lead researcher Hans Jorgensen. “Basically, people realize they are going to die and that makes them to feel bad. That feeling can effect how they see their future. Young people on the other hand see the future ahead of them and want to live. This, amongst other environmental factors, is one of the leading causes of death amongst seniors.”
While the study clearly demonstrates the facts, less clear is the sociological impact of this increasing death rate.

“You do need to see the big picture here,” continues Jorgensen. “As older people begin dying, jobs related to them will begin to disappear as well. Industries such as nursing homes, adult diapers, even certain television shows like ‘Wheel of Fortune’ will suffer immensely. After all its young people working in these areas, and as the audience dies out, they will suffer a significant economic downturn.”

The news isn’t all bad though. In developing countries the trend seems to be nonexistent. “In a country like Botswana for example, where the average life expectancy is thirty-two years, they don’t have this type of discrepancy. There is no economy built up around the aged they won’t suffer the same economic penalties that the wealthier countries have to endure.”

The study did not suggest any solutions to the issue, but Jorgensen has some ideas. “Well it would be simple enough to simply exclude people from society after a certain age. That way we are not economically dependent on them. We could also encourage high fat diets and discourage exercise. That would go a long way to improving the balance between the ages. I believe we need to act soon, to stave off potential economic disaster.”

The study is available on the World Health Organization’s website. 

Lauren Hebert, Health Correspondent

NEWS > HEALTH > SENIORS DYING FASTER THAN YOUNG PEOPLE, DOCTORS CONCERNED