Individual aging

vs
population aging

Zcmiraflores,rn,mn
Why do our bodies age?
 Changes that individual experience
1. Chronological order  number of
years an individual live since
birth
Ex. 20,30,40

Not always congruent with

physical age
 People with same
chronological age may be
quiet different in their bodies
• 2. Physical signs

• changes that are

observable and
remarkable
 What are the
physical signs of
aging?
1.Grey hair
2.Laugh line that becomes
permanently etched around
the eyes
3.Poor eyesight requiring
glasses
4.Lapses in one’s ability to
recall names and faces
5.forgetfulness
• SOME LOOK
OLD AT “50”
WHILE
OTHERS LOOK
YOUNG AT “70”
 CHANGES DEPENDED ON
INTERRELATED FACTORS:
• Heredity
• Nutrition
• Habits and vices
• Working conditions
• Lifestyle
• Attitudes towards life in general
• 3. Functional age

• reflects an ability to
carry on an independent,
self sufficient life in taking
care of own basic personal
needs

• e.g SELF-CARE
 Peer activity:
• Basing on our discussions answer the
following questions:
1. What do you think are the factors that
makes physical age different from
chronological age?

2. Give specific examples of the above

factors.

3. Which of these factors are most

important in individual aging? Why?
 POPULATION AGING
• CONDITION THAT DESCRIBES THE STATE OF
A POPULATION

• e.g. decline in fertility and mortality

• population aging or “graying” of the

population
 Causes of population aging:
• Can bests be explained by the theory of
• 1. demographic transition:

• According to this theory, the growth of

population over a long period is
characterized by 3 stages:
a. pre-transition stage  almost zero
growth, many birth of women in
population but counter balance by
equally high number of death; people Young populations
on average lived shorter lives
• b.Post-transition
stage  there is
again very low
growth in population Young
numbers because populations

both growths and

deaths are equally
low
• c. Transition stage
there is a decline in
births and decline in
deaths but not at an
equal pace; death old populations
declines much faster
that birth explosive
growth of the
population
•Fertility and
birth play a
more important
role……
 2. Mortality decline
• While births have been decreasing improvement in
human condition results ( advances in food production,
public health and medical sciences decreases death
among the young)

• Under low mortality regime, people on AVERAGE expect

to live longer
• e.g countries: Japan, Italy, Germany and
Canada aging populations

• Thailand ,Philippines and Malaysia various stages in

completing the demographic transition
 TRENDS IN FERTILITY
• Total fertility rate (TFR) is
the average number of
children that a woman
INTERPRETED
expects to have if she
as: the
were subjected to the average
same schedule of fertility completed
family per
as the women of that
family size
population at that
specific point in time
 Trends in mortality
• Can be observed in the life
expectancy of a population

• LIFE EXPECTANCY refers to the

number of years that a person
expects to live subjected to the
same risk of dying prevalent in the
population at that time
• Most popularly QUOTED
figure: Life expectancy at birth is defined as
the average number of years that a
newborn could expect to live if he or
she were to pass through life subject

• BIRTH EXPECTANCY 
to the age-specific mortality rates of
a given period.

number of years a
newborn is expected to
live if he/she were
subjected to the same
risk of dying prevailing
at the time of his/her
birth
 Trends in mortality
• Can be observed in the life
expectancy of a population

• LIFE EXPECTANCY refers to the

number of years that a person
expects to live subjected to the
same risk of dying prevalent in the
population at that time
• IF MORTALITY RISK
ARE HIGH AT ALL
AGES THEN LIFE
EXPECTANCY WILL
BE LOW AND VICE
VERSA
 Video clips:
• PH moving towards aging population
 TOPIC 2
• ECONOMIC AND SOCIOCULTURAL
IMPLICATIONS OF POPULATION AGING

• zcmiraflores
 Objectives
• 1. describe the economic implications of an
aging population

• 2. describe the socio-cultural of an aging

population
• Regardless of the
age or life course
stage at which the
culture may define
one to be old ;the
concerns of older
people are the same
across cultures
• Increase in numbers and
proportions of older
populations

• Increase in demand for services

by a a sector most part is no
longer active
 Economic implications

• When birth rates starts to

decline

• time to evolve social safety

nets to guard against
poverty in old system
Taxations and
pensions
Most developed economies used:

• PAY AS YOU GO SYSTEM

Collecting funds by taxing the working age
population of today to pay the pension of
the retirees of today ( to cover basic
expenses of the elder)

Disadvantage: number of working people

is proportionally smaller than the
pensioners and birth rates who the future
entrants projected to be smaller e. g
Germany and France
In developing countries:
Philippines
• SSS (Social Security
system)
• GSIS (Government Service
Insurance System)

• Which cover only formal

sector employees in those who contributed when
However
private and public
they were still working ;pensions are
not enough to cover their basic
economic needs after retirement
 PROBLEM?
• NO PROBLEM with STRAIN of having too
many old retirees

• PROBLEM: amount of contributions that

can be extracted from the working age
population (low wage level) and some
sectors who are not covered by the
system

• SURVEY SAYS! Only 10% who

reached retirement age were
receiving pension (1996)
 Cost of healthcare:
• TENDS TO RISE in old age

• So in some countries 
Formal system of health
insurance was developed
(young and old)

• Compulsory for all and

requires substantial
contributions for its members
• Traditional support
system

• SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM

of family and kin networks

• Mainly children of elderly

(residence /live with family)
 Senior citizens:

• Benefit:
• 20% discount
in medicines
as mandated
in the senior
citizens act
 Video clips
• Aging in america
Individual
activity:
• 1. What are the advantage and
disadvantages of pension system in
developed countries that have
adopted the pay-as-you go system?

• 2. Is the traditional support system

in developing countries enough to
provide financial support for older
persons? Discuss
 Sociocultural Implications
As people grows older

Lose some of the abilities to function

Depended on the closest kin ( children, siblings,

relatives and friends)
-Confucian ethics (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea-
primary source of support  eldest son
-cultural beliefs “utang na loob”
In developed countries: other cultures

• Elderly appears less dependent on

family networks

• Prefer not to co-reside with a child

or a kin (leaving alone is their
ideal arrangement) Worries on:
A. loss of independence
B. ability to live by oneself
C. take care of ones basic needs
 When population aging
proceeds RAPID pace cultural
ideal changes: e.g children
taking care of older parents
Reasons:
• 1. long term fertility decline –no
more will take care of
aging parents
• 2. Modernization  higher
workforce for
women; deprive
older people of
traditional
caregivers

• E.g japan (daughter-in –law

traditionally takes care of
the parents)
• 3. Increased
longevity
caregiver is
also aging
themselves
 Video clip:
• Aging in america: crisis in long term
 Epidemiologic transition:
HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF
AGING POPULATION
Epidemiologic transition describe the
long term trend in mortality across
population
Reasons:
a. Causes of death shifts to chronic illness
(treatable due to presence of medical
science); infectious disease (some can be
irradicated)
• Question:

• What do you think are the

implications of the high
prevalence of chronic
diseases in an aging
population?
Implications of aging population
• 1. high health care costs
DM and HPN (needs
medications and medical
consultation to effectively
manage condition)

• 2. need to build the kind of

health services and health
infrastructure required
• focus on preventive services
than curative services
• 3. increasing average
length of time
between the onset of
illness and death
 Video clips:
• Global aging
 Seatwork:
• 1. Can you think of other
possible implications of
high prevalence of chronic
diseases in a population?

• 2. Why do you think

women tend to live longer
than men? Support your
answers