OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH IN AGEING AND

OLDER PEOPLE

Professor Robert Stout

Jeanne Calment(1875 - 1997)

Jeanne Calment: the oldest person who ever lived?

Centenarians – Royal Telegrams

                                                              1917                    24

1952                  200 

1970                1000 

1990                4000 

2006                4623

Chances of living to 100

Born 1852 1 in 3800

Born 1896 1 in 310

Population NI 1901-2001(1901=100)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001

Census Year

0-44

45-74

75+

FemalesMales

AGEING 2008

•One third of everybody aged 65 and over who has existed in the whole history of human kind is alive today

•The world population aged 65 and over is increasing by 0.75 million people per month

•In the next 25 years the population aged 65 and over will grow by 88%. While the working age population will grow by 25%

LIFE EXPECTANCY

Who wants to live for ever? A scientific breakthrough could mean humans live for hundreds of years

BY TWEAKING OUR DNA, WE COULD SOON SURVIVE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS – IF WE WANT TO. STEVE CONNOR REPORTS ON A BREAKTHROUGH THAT HAS THE SCIENCE

WORLD DIVIDED

Dominic Lawson: An old dilemma: who wants to live for ever?

SCIENTISTS ABOVE ALL SHOULD RECOGNISE THE BENEFITS OF GENERATIONAL CHANGE

USA: National Long Term Care Survey (1982-1999)

• Disability in over 65’s decreased from 26.2% to 19.7%

• This is double the decrease in the mortality rate (1%)

• Rate of decline accelerating Manton, cited in Tallis and Fillit, 2003

Years Lived With DisabilityAge 60 and over

Dementia 11.2%

Stroke 9.5%

Musculo-skeletal disorders 8.9%

Cardiovascular disease 5.0%

Cancer 2.4%

(WHO, 2003)

Scientists discover way to reverse loss of memory

Excess Winter Mortality as % Increase over Non-Winter Deaths

Ireland 19%

United Kingdom 18%

Austria 14%

Belgium 13%

France 13%

Luxembourg 12%

Denmark 12%

Germany 11%

Netherlands 11%

Finland 10%

‘To hold to an unfailing bodily health, constant vigour

and tranquillity of mind, to preserve these into a green

and rugged old age until, without a struggle of any

sickness, soul and body disever’.

Von Boerhaave, 1737