Introduction


	THE AGEING POPULATION During the 20th century there has been gradual ageing of the population, with the numbers of older people increasing in relation to those in younger age cohorts. between 1951 and 1987 the number of people over 65 rose from 5.5 million to 8.8 million. Older people now comprise 15% of the population compared to 11% in 1951. Population projections indicate that the proportion of older people in the population will remain relatively static over the next decade. However there will be a substantial increase in the early part of the 21st century as the post war baby boom reaches retirement age. by 2025 it is projected that almost 20% of the population will be over 65 years old.


	Although the total of people over 65 is not projected to increase significantly during the 1990s, there will be a change in the composition of the older age group. The number of people in their 60s is projected to decline slightly, while the percentage of elderly people over 75 will increase from 43% of the older population in 1987 to 48% by 2001. The percentage of elderly people over 85 will increase by a projected 75% over the same period to form 13% of the older population.


	THE AGEING POPULATION A noticeable feature of old age is the preponderance of women in the older population. 59% of all older people are women, a proportion which increases significantly with age, over 75% of those over 85 years of age are women. see Fig 3. Over a third of all older people live alone and as women represent the largest percentage of the elderly population they are more likely to be in single person households. see Fig 4. Nearly half of all women over 65 and three quarters of women over 75 live alone. for many of them old age brings significant changes as they may have to come to terms with independent living for the first time in their lives. Many of the current generation of elderly women have been dependent on their spouses for financial support and guidance. These women may have to cope with the responsibility of housing for the first time. Men in the current generation of elderly are more likely to have married someone younger than themselves and generally die younger than women, so they have someone to care for them in their old age and are more likely to live out their lives in their own homes.


	THE AGEING PROCESS \| INTRODUCTION \| AGEING \| CHANGES 1 \| CHANGES 2 \| ILLNESSES OF THE ELDERLY 1 \| ILLNESSES OF THE ELDERLY 2 \| DEMENTIA \| SELF-CARE INDICATORS \| ELIGIBILITY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES