Old age is a relatively new factor in the history of the human race.

At the turn of the century,

life expectancy in Australia was 45 for men and 46 for women. Now it is 75 for men and 81
for women (Hoogland & Chambers, n.d.). In most of countries in the world, ageing
population is now a predominant demographic issue. It has occurred as a result of both
longer life expectancy, declining fertility rates and the ageing of baby boom generations.
The implication of ageing population are wider and impact to the issues of intergenerational
relations, employment, living arrangements, etc.
The article World faces ageing population time bomb says UN, which was written by Alex
Spillius and Julian Ryall in 2012, is a considerable article about this issue. The United Nation
has warned that the number of older than the age of 60 would possibly exceed one billion
within a decade. Ageing population offers challenges that impact every dimension of life
including family, the economy, health services, education and the general fabric of society
(Pelaez, 2005). We must commit to ending the widespread mismanagement of ageing and
the vast majority of people will live into old age. The report estimated that one in nine people
of the worlds population of seven million are over 60 and it forecasted that the size of elderly
population is expected to swell by 200 million within 10 years pass the one billion mark and
soar to two billion by 2050. The report said that the most serious effect of ageing populations
would be in developing countries without safety nets or adequate legal protection in place for
older people.