aging

November 14, 2011

A future and a hope for Japan’s aging society

“Creating a future for Japan’s aging society,” Michael Hoffman, The Japan Times. “23% of Japan’s population is aged 65 or over; by 2050, nearly 40% will be.” Hoffman points out that Japan “has grown psychologically old.” Old age is reshaping the country, and death has become the primary topic. Where goes Japan, so goes many other countries in the West before the end of the century. This insightful little article should be food for thought for many missiologists. I have already highlighted that we need to think as much about the 65/95 window (see here and here) as the 4/14 [...]

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August 30, 2011

Where is the 65/95 Window?

In China, the number of seniors (65+) reached 119 million, or 8.87% of the country’s 1.3 billion (Yonhap). A legislature report projects that by 2042 a third of the country will be elderly. Now, the ratio of workers to seniors is 5:1; by 2030, it will be 2.5:1. Elder care will be a huge issue affecting the land and the church. We think now about the “4/14 Window” but we may be looking for a “65/95 Window” soon (a period twice as long). In Korea, data suggests the nation is becoming an “inhospitable place” for senior citizens. Half live in [...]

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August 5, 2011

Imagining aging

Tom de Castella & Virginia Brown, “Why can’t we imagine ourselves getting old?”, BBC News Magazine. A girl born in the UK today has a 1:3 chance of reaching 100. A boy has a 1:4 chance. By 2066, there will be 500,000 people who reach 100. A recent study suggests half of the babies born after 2000 will reach 100. The implications are enormous, but difficult to grapple with. The authors explore some of them. Pensions are one: a failure to imagine oneself as old means a failure to invest in pension plans that can last the length of time [...]

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July 15, 2011

As lifespans increase, what will people do?

The world is aging. Lifespans are increasing. There are more and more centenarians (people who live to be 100 or more) who are still sharp, healthy, and mobile. There are 72,000 in the United States–double the 1990 figure of 37,000. But as their numbers rise and they remain healthy, many elderly people–for example, Boomers–don’t want to retire. They don’t look on it as a cessation of activity but rather an entirely new chapter. What will they do?

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July 2, 2011

Single-member households top 30% in Japan+

Single-member households top 30% in Japan via Breitbart.com, numbering some 15.8 million households. Ministry to these is a qualitatively different challenge from ministry to couples. Different ministry avenues and personnel are required to reach the elderly single, the divorced, the widowed, the young man, the young woman. Related: “Census shows social security at breaking point“: Japan has the highest proportion of adults over 65 and smallest proportion of children of any country in the world. (This particular article also says the census reveals more Japanese live alone than reside with spouses and children, but the definition is unclear since single-member [...]

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March 10, 2010

Singaporeans living longer, aging

The average life expectancy of Singaporeans is expected to hit 86. Singapore could become the fourth oldest population in the world. via Straits Times.

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