For a country where the bulk of its population is below 25, here's a finding that won't surprise many: a majority of people from India do not consider themselves to be old – more than the international average. But here's something that not many would know: Indians in the age group of 18-24 years fear heart diseases most in old age (25 per cent) followed by diabetes (24 per cent) and cancer (16 per cent).
The findings are from Bupa Health Pulse 2010, an international healthcare survey which examined the perceptions and attitudes of over 12,000 people from 12 different countries towards ageing, chronic disease and health and wellbeing. Ageing Societies – the first set of results to be released on Thursday – reveals a positive international outlook towards ageing, where the majority of those aged over 65 still feel young and healthy. For this 'young-at-heart generation', 80 is the new 65. The research also found that across the world the vast majority of people are failing to plan for their care needs later in life.
Alongside these findings a report by the London School of Economics (LSE), which analysed the Bupa Health Pulse results, warns that the informal care
networks – family carers which the majority expect to rely on in their old age – are slowly disintegrating due to a variety of social and economic changes. The report reveals we're facing a ‘global care crunch’ that we’re not prepared for. It will impact on all societies around the world unless individuals and states start preparing for it now.
In India, 91 per cent do not consider themselves too old. The international average is 88, the lowest is China with 65. As life expectancies around the world increase – by an average of 21 years since 1950 – people’s perceptions of what constitutes old age are changing. A majority (39 per cent) of Indians think people become old before they reach 60 – double the international average.
The majority of respondents from India have taken steps to prepare themselves for old age. Less than a third have made no preparation at all – far fewer
than the international average of over half. The most preferred way of securing for old age is insurance with roughly 35 per cent. The international average for insurance is around 15 per cent.
Question: Who do you think "should" take the most responsibility for you when you are no longer able to look after yourself? Answer: Close to 70 per cent in India say spouse/children/family – the highest figure internationally. To the question who "will" take the responsibility, a little more than 70 per cent gave the same answer.
However, the other LSE research revealed that families will be ill-equipped to deal with their older relatives’ care needs – due to a variety of societal and economic factors, such as demographic changes, the breakdown in the extended family, and increasing rates of migration, divorce and women in the workplace. That's the bad news.
Across the globe, 72 per cent of those aged 65 and above do not consider themselves to be ‘old’, with France emerging as the most young-at-heart nation with nearly a third of its population (32 per cent) believing that people are only ‘old’ when they’re over 80. People in China, who believe old age starts before the age of 60 (65%), have emerged as those least young-at-heart.
Brazilians are those most looking forward to old age (17 per cent compared to 3 per cent globally), while those in India are the least bothered of all countries surveyed about getting older (70 per cent).
Despite this positive outlook towards ageing, the majority of people around the world are failing to plan for the realities of old age. Fewer than a quarter (22 per cent of over 65s have put money aside to prepare for old age. Two-thirds of respondents (66 per cent) are assuming that their families will be there to shoulder the burden of care.
Russia lags behind all countries surveyed with two-thirds admitting they have failed to make any preparations at all, while India bucks the trend completely with the majority (71 per cent) of Indians stating they have already made some kind of preparation for their later years.
International Research findings – over 65s:
- Over seven in ten (72%) of those aged 65 and over say they do not feel old; this figure rises to 80 per cent, the highest number, in Germany
- 67 per cent feel healthy
- 47 per cent of over 65s think that old age only starts in your 80s, this figure rises to 54 per cent in France, the highest percentage globally
- Fewer than a quarter (22%) of over 65s have put money aside for their old age
- 71 per cent are assuming that their families will be there to shoulder the burden of their care
International Research findings – all adults:
- France is the most young-at-heart nation, with nearly a third of its population (32 per cent) believing that people are only ‘old’ when they’re over 80 (compared with 20 per cent across the globe)
- Brazilians are most looking forward to old age (17 per cent compared to 3 per cent globally)
- While in China people think that you’re ‘old’ much sooner with two-thirds (65 per cent) of people believing that people are old before their 60s (compared with 20 per cent internationally)
- India are the least worried about getting old, with 70 per cent saying it ‘doesn’t bother them’ and/or they ‘don’t think about it’
- India is the most prepared for old age with 71 per cent of Indians having made some kind of preparation, but Russia lags behind with two-thirds (66 per cent) of Russians failing to make any preparations at all
- In China where 33 per cent of people have put money aside to prepare for old age, whereas only 7 per cent have done so in Brazil
- Across the world 86 per cent say the current level of state support needs to improve, with 62 per cent arguing it needs to ‘improve dramatically’
- Fewer than one in ten (7 per cent) of those surveyed think that the state will actually take responsibility for caring for them in older age
- Two thirds (66 per cent) think their family will look after them when they are older; this number drops to 59 per cent in Australia, the lowest percentage, and rises to 76 per cent in Brazil, the highest number
- Among those surveyed around the world, people were most concerned about getting cancer (34 per cent) or dementia (23 per cent) when they get old
Insights from the LSE report, Ageing Societies: Challenges and Opportunities
- The world’s population is ageing and the number of older people is increasing in almost all countries around the world. In part, the growing number of older people is due to significant increases in life expectancy.
- Life expectancy has increased by a world average of 21 years in the last 60 years, from
- 47 years (1950-1955) to 6 years in 2005-2010. The gains in life expectancy vary across the countries
- China, India and Mexico have seen the greatest increases in life expectancy, (32.2, 25.6 and 25.4 year increases respectively)
- Life expectancy at birth in the Russian Federation has increased by only two years since the 1960s – it is now 66.5 years.
- Of the countries surveyed, Australia has the highest life expectancy – 81.5 years. India has the lowest – 63.5 years. The world average is 67.6 years.
- However, the rapid growth in the proportion of older people across the world could pose a challenge in terms of society's capacity to raise resources to pay for services.
- The link between changes in life expectancy and the prevalence of health problems and of dependency is key to gauging the impact of ageing on the demand for health and social care services.
- The bulk of demand for care services is linked to a core set of health conditions, including dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and stroke. The cost to society of these conditions is vast.
- Dementia has been identified as one of the main factors leading to older people entering long-term care facilities.
- Relying primarily on informal care networks in the future will be increasingly difficult because of significant decreases in the number of informal carers per dependent older people.
- The reduction in the availability of informal care will require a new consensus about the sharing of contributions to the care of older people between groups in society.
- Given the risk that older people in need of care might need to deplete their assets in order to pay for their care, a public debate is growing internationally about the importance of developing mechanisms to protect the financial resources of older people in need.
- A societal agreement will be needed about the sharing of responsibilities now and in the future over the funding and provision of support for older people in need.
