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Old people today have more sex, are more likely to be divorced, arecleverer and feel better, reveals a long-term research projectcomparing what it is like to be old today with 30 years ago. "It'stime to start talking about the 'new old age'," says researcherIngmar Skoog. The number of elderly is rising worldwide, and it is estimated thataverage life expectancy in Europe will reach 100 by the end of thecentury. At the same time, old age and what we expect from it are changing.An extensive research project at the University of Gothenburg'sSahlgrenska Academy has spent a number of years comparing theelderly of the 1970s with those of today. The project, known as theH70 study, reveals that old age has changed drastically in a numberof ways. For example, the proportion of elderly with schooling beyondsecondary level has risen from 14% to almost 40% for both genders.This is reflected in a better performance in intelligence tests bytoday's 70-year-olds than their counterparts back in the 1970s. The proportion of married people has increased, as has theproportion of divorcees. The elderly are also now more sexuallyactive, and the number with sexual problems such as impotence has fallen. The results of the long-term study can also be contradictory, notleast when it comes to social networking: "The H70 study shows thatthe elderly are more outgoing today than they were in the 1970s -they talk more to their neighbours, for example - yet thepercentage of elderly who feel lonely has increased significantly,"says professor Ingmar Skoog from the University of Gothenburg'sSahlgrenska Academy, who leads the study. Old people's mental health does not seem to have changed, however. Dementia disorders are no more prevalent today than they were 30 years ago,and while more old people consider themselves to be mildlydepressed, more severe forms of depression have not become more common. Meanwhile the elderly are copingbetter with everyday life: the number needing help with cleaninghas fallen from 25% to 12%, and only 4% need help taking a bath,down from 14% in the 1970s. "Our conclusion is that pensioners are generally healthier andperkier today than they were 30 years ago," says Skoog. "This maybe of interest both in the debate about where to set the retirementage and in terms of the baby boomers now hitting retirement age." The H70 study in Gothenburg began back in 1971. More than 1,00070-year-old men and women born in 1901-02 were examined by doctorsand interviewed about their lives to obtain a picture of diseasesin elderly populations, risk factors and their functional capacityand social networks. The participants were examined again at theage of 75 and then at regular intervals until the final participantdied at the age of 105. The year 2000 brought the start of a newstudy of 70-year-olds born in 1930, who were examined using thesame methods, making it possible to follow a specific generationthrough life and compare different generations. Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Pillow Block Ball Bearings , China Thin-wall Bearing, and more. For more , please visit Self-Aligning Ball Bearing today!
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