The emergence of new innovative and applied technology helps in handling issues associated with old age such as social isolation and segregation. Tom Kirkwood even said that technology will support self-dependency, at the Public Service Events’ Later Life Conference.
Human life expectancy is steadily at the rise. The greatest change that has occurred during the recent two centuries is the radical increase in human longevity. Life expectancy has increased by nearly 100 percent in the last century. A rise in longevity is a change is dangerous if unanticipated, but it is likely going to supply more success for the future. Researchers, policymakers, businesses and the public are trying to evaluate the opportunities and success contributed by the rise in human life expectancy.
The aging process is probably more flexible than we believe. In early decades, life expectancy was expected to reach a so called ‘longevity ceiling’ but that saying is a fallacy. Progress in science is catapulting the limits of longevity to new heights year-on-year.
There are many who believe that aging start at the age of 40, 50 or 60. However, aging seems to have an interesting mechanism that set-in at a very early course of our life.
Research on aging is gradually able to surmount problems faced by older people. However, greatest health benefits that are introduced today will only be benefited by our children and grandchildren.
The human body does not age because of the commonly referred ‘programmed genes of death’. It isn’t our genes that predict our death. More commonly, the cause of aging and death is caused by the accumulation of faults in cells, tissues and organs. It is still true that longevity trends are present in families. So gene does indeed have a minor contribution to longevity. It is said that gene account for 30 percent while lifestyle practices for the remaining 70 percent of longevity – we are talking about the genes responsible for maintenance and repair.
Lifestyle and environmental factors such as exercise, stress, education, nutrition, housing and employment are the ruling factors of longevity. These determinants of life-expectancy are increasingly being explored and studied.
The malleability of the aging process calls for more scientific recognition to explore how social science and policy can help to influence exposure of diseases. Factors such as poor diet, housing and education have an influence on longevity. But until recently these factors haven’t been fully explored. For instance, people faced with a life-long exposure to poor wellbeing and health, are more prone to chronic conditions in biological and material terms.
Aging leads to the onset of functional impairments, disabilities and incapacity. In the long-run, aging drags us into a higher level of vulnerability to our own environment.
Technology is slowly providing solutions for environmental obstacles that we face as we enter old-age. For instance, more modern wheelchairs solve problems of immobility, and modern mobile phones enable even people with arthritis of the hand to make calls.
The presence of sophisticated technological solution to advanced health complications reduces the level of social isolation and support self-dependency. Often the government funds research of technology that supports high-dependency. These are investments that do rapidly recover their cost.
Nevertheless, the innovation of new technology solutions doesn’t need state support anymore. The market opportunity for this market niche is rapidly growing together with an aging population. Private companies effort to develop technologies to solve the pervasive problem of ageism is inescapable.
Professor Tom Kirkwood who is the director of the Institute for ageing and Health at Newcastle University says that attitudes are changing and effective communication is promoting a new market that supports an increase in longevity.
Source: Public Service (UK)
Anti Aging,
Gerontology,
Longevity
© Jimmy Eriksson for Anti Aging and Human Immortality News, 2011. |
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