Demographic Trends of the Elderly Population

Abstract

Mental disorders in the elderly constitute one of the most important social and health problems of our generation. One reason for this is to be looked for in the enormous changes in the age structure of the world population, which are reflected in the increasing mean ages of the populations, in the increasing proportions of those aged 65 and over and the disproportionately large increases in the numbers of those aged 80 and above (see Hauser, this volume). In the developing countries this process is still at an early stage, while in the industrialized countries, where it started before the turn of the century, it has now reached an advanced stage. Increased life expectancy, one of the causes of these demographic changes, has resulted in particular from improved hygiene and standards of living and the progress made in field of preventive and curative medicine in combatting acute diseases associated with a high mortality risk. In searching for the causes of and developing effective preventive measures for chronic diseases, however, only moderate progress has been made. The successful combat against life-threatening diseases and the increased further life expectancy, also in higher age groups, have extended the life span of the chronically ill and thus led to a disproportionately large increase in their numbers. In this context the World Health Organization has spoken of a “rising pandemic of chronic ill-health and disability”¹.