U.S. Babies Likely To Live To 22nd Century

Living a long life is increasingly likely. The result is an increased need for long-term care services. Some 10 million Americans currently require such care according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, the industry trade group.

The study appearing in the medical journal The Lancet today reports that during the 20th century most developed countries saw an increase of around 30 years in life expectancy. The result, they predicted was continued increased lifespans in affluent countries such as the United States.

In 1950, only 15-16 percent of 80-year-old women, and just 12 percent of octogenarian men, made it to the age of 90 in advanced economies. By 2002, the number had risen to 37 percent and 25 percent respectively.

The researchers noted that in Japan, the survival rate from 80 to 90 is now more than 50 percent for women.
If the pace of increase in life expectancy in developed countries over the past two centuries continues through the 21st century, most babies born since 2000 in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the USA, Canada, Japan and other countries with long life expectancies will celebrate their 100th birthdays the researchers predicted.

Evidence also suggests that, today, the extra years are less encumbered by disabilities and dependence than in the past. The research paper warned, though, that longer lifespans pose major social, economic and medical challenges as the very elderly become a greater proportion of the community.

One solution could be to spread employment more evenly across populations and ages of life, the report's authors noted. Instead of working for a long, intense spell and then retiring, "individuals could combine work, education, leisure and child-rearing in varying amounts at different ages."

Written by Mindy Hartman
Los Angeles, CA
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