Although Ireland's population is the youngest in the European Union, it is also one of the most rapidly aging ones, according to a report released this week.
People over 65 make up only 11.4 per cent of the total Irish population. But by 2025 the percentage will have risen to 17.25 per cent. Sodexho Alliance, the food and management services provider which undertook the study, said the greying of the population will have many implications for the future.
As the number of older people increases, they will continue longer at work, with the retirement age possibly extended to 80 by 2025. Older people will also represent a greater portion of the purchasing power of European states.
Life expectancy will also go up. In the 11 developed states considered in the study, it is expected to reach 85.2 years for men and 92.6 years for women by 2025.
The study divides older people into three categories, based on their level of activity. The "active" group shows no substantive difference from younger people and currently accounts for approximately one-third of older people. "Frail" older people may have some health problems but are mainly independent. The study considers this group to pose many challenges: "There is a real challenge for society to ensure they can exercise a preference for living in their own homes for longer."
With advances in medicine and healthcare, the third category, "dependent" older people, will account for fewer of the over-65 population in the future, and their needs will be considered more in the light of their physical limitations than according to age.
Currently, only 5 per cent of Irish people over 65 are in residential or long-term care, and a further 17 per cent receive some level of care in their community.