THE GREYING POPULATION IN BRITAIN

THE GREYING POPULATION IN BRITAIN IN RGS-IBG

With widespread fall in fertility rates and significant rises in life expectancy, the median age of Britain’s population is rising. Today, for the first time in history, Britain’s over-65s now outnumber people under the age of 16. This ageing population trend is being made worse by the inevitable retirement of the so-called baby boom generation over the coming decades. The baby boomers were born during a period of rapid population growth and social change between 1946-64, with 17m births  recorded in Britain alone during this period. Those born at this time are now beginning to reach retirement age and are set to have a dramatic effect on the people, society and the economy of Britain.

There are currently 4 people of working age supporting each pensioner in Britain, by 2035 this number is expected to fall to 2.5, and by 2050 to just 2. The number of people of working age in relation to retirees is known as the ‘dependency ratio’. This ageing of populations is a global phenomenon, being witnessed not only in Britain but in such developed countries as Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan.

NOT SO GOLDEN YEARS FOR ELDERLY IN SG

NOT SO GOLDEN YEARS FOR ELDERLY IN SG IN STRAITS TIMES

According to a new Active Ageing Index, the elderly in Singapore fall short in three areas: health, financial security and community engagement.

Just 5 per cent of those aged 65 to 69 who were polled scored high for active ageing. That figure declined to 3.4 per cent for those aged 70 to 74, before falling to 1 per cent for those aged 75 and above. Overall, however, the majority – about 80 per cent – achieved a “medium” level of active ageing. The index, constructed by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), measures three dimensions of active ageing as defined by the World Health Organisation: health, community participation and security.

Singaporeans fall particularly short on community participation. Just 5.5 per cent take part in clubs or group activities, and just 23.8 per cent participate in the workforce, whether for paid or unpaid work. Relating to the poor score in active ageing is another sobering figure: One in five feels that he or she does not have sufficient income for living.

ELDER ABUSE IN SG

ELDER ABUSE IN SG IN TODAY ONLINE

SINGAPORE — With the number of people here in the above-65 age bracket projected to triple by 2030, moves to better protect the elderly, as well as those with special needs, from abuse and neglect are in the works.

Strengthening the service and legal frameworks to deal with such cases as well as intervening earlier are measures being looked at, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) yesterday in its response to the President’s Address. Social workers and lawyers whom TODAY spoke to welcomed such reinforcements, saying the move was a timely one. Last year, more parents applied for Personal Protection Orders against their children for physical or financial abuse, among other reasons.

HOW AGEING POPULATION WILL CHANGE WORLD

HOW AGEING POPULATION WILL CHANGE WORLD (SEE VIDEO)

The number of people across the world over 65 years old will triple by 2050, drastically altering some countries' demographic make-up, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.

Perceptions of this shift vary widely across the globe, the report says.

While 87% of Japanese believe the ageing population poses a problem to the country, only 26% of Americans agree.

The survey of 21 countries found that most people believe governments should be responsible for the care of their older populations.

These demographic shifts may adversely affect economies, as more elderly people depend on working-age men and women   

OLD AGE SHOULD NOT BE APPROACHED WITH HORROR

OLD AGE SHOULD NOT BE APPROACHED WITH HORROR IN GUARDIAN

Ageing is a strange and foreign country described mostly in negative terms in guide books for those whom, much to their surprise, find themselves lost in its hinterland, often unsuitably dressed and without a compass. A youth-obsessed society that makes a mint from mining the alleged horrors of growing older – all sag and no sagacity – has locked us into a set of taboos that means millions of us are moving from middle age into possibly decades of allegedly unproductive, dependent, parked-up old age without sufficient armament or attitude of mind to challenge prevailing prejudices. Except that today we may literally have been thrown the semblance of a lifeline.

CHANGING AMERICAN FAMILY

By NATALIE ANGIER in NY Times

American households have never been more diverse, more surprising, more baffling.  Kristi and Michael Burns have a lot in common. They love crossword puzzles, football, going to museums and reading five or six books at a time. They describe themselves as mild-mannered introverts who suffer from an array of chronic medical problems. The two share similar marital résumés, too. On their wedding day in 2011, the groom was 43 years old and the bride 39, yet it was marriage No. 3 for both.

Today, their blended family is a sprawling, sometimes uneasy ensemble of two sharp-eyed sons from her two previous husbands, a daughter and son from his second marriage, ex-spouses of varying degrees of involvement, the partners of ex-spouses, the bemused in-laws and a kitten named Agnes that likes to sleep on computer keyboards.

RURAL SCHOOLS IN CHINA

By Andreas SchleicherOECD special adviser for educationStudents in Shanghai have the highest results in international Pisa tests. But what is the state of education for China's rural poor, far away from the showcase cities? Andreas Schleicher, who runs the Pisa tests, went to find out.

About 1,900 miles south west of Shanghai is Qiao Tou Lian He elementary school. It's an hour's drive from the town of Tengchong, which might seem a small distance in comparison, but most of the school's children have never made it to Tengchong. Providing an education for children in such sparsely-populated rural areas is one of China's major challenges. While the economic and social development of these rural regions has been remarkable, China's coastal cities are racing ahead at an even faster pace.

Pupils left behind

That fuels an endless stream of people moving to the cities - students looking for better education, parents looking for work, but also good teachers who are looking for more fulfilling careers. Shanghai alone registers 1,000 additional cars each day bought by those who have made it up the social ladder.

SEVEN MYTHS ABOUT TOP SCHOOLS IN BBC NEWS

SEVEN MYTHS ABOUT TOP SCHOOLS IN BBC NEWS

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan says she wants England to get into the top five of the international Pisa tests for English and maths by 2020.

The man in charge of the Pisa tests, Andreas Schleicher, says the evidence from around the world reveals some big myths about what makes for a successful education system.

1. Disadvantaged pupils are doomed to do badly in school

Teachers all around the world struggle with how to make up for social disadvantage in their classrooms. Some believe that deprivation is destiny.

And yet, results from Pisa tests show that the 10% most disadvantaged 15-year-olds in Shanghai have better maths skills than the 10% most privileged students in the United States and several European countries. Children from similar social backgrounds can show very different performance levels, depending on the school they go to or the country they live in.

Education systems where disadvantaged students succeed are able to moderate social inequalities.

They tend to attract the most talented teachers to the most challenging classrooms and the most capable school leaders to the most disadvantaged schools, thus challenging all students with high standards and excellent teaching.

GENDER SPENDERS - CHOOSING YOUR BABY'S GENDER IN THE STAR

GENDER SPENDERS - CHOOSING YOUR BABY'S GENDER IN THE STAR
When it comes to fulfilling their long-cherished dream of bearing a son and heir, there is no limit to how far Singaporeans will go. Like Thailand, for example, or even the United States. The attraction of these places has to do with not just their skills in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. After all, that is on offer here.

But these foreign destinations – initially the US, but increasingly Thailand as well – allow parents to choose the gender of their baby through a procedure known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), something barred in Singapore. ‘Singaporeans want a boy to have an heir and also because they feel a son can take care of his siblings.’

Marvel, which opened in April last year, treated about 10 Singaporeans in its first year of operation – mostly childless women in their mid- to late 40s who had tried IVF treatment in Singapore without success. Almost all of them asked exclusively for a boy, said Ms Totem.

SINGAPORE'S POOR - ARE THEY BETTER OFF?

By Rebecca LimBBC News, Singapore

Wan Zaleha smiles as the smell of freshly-brewed coffee permeates the air at a non-profit centre caring for low-income and needy people in Singapore.

For the last six years, from Mondays to Saturdays, the 72-year-old has served as a volunteer, making tea and coffee for residents living in one-room apartments in the neighbourhood.

She lives in one of the one-room apartments - which average 30 sq.m and cost S$23 ($19, £12) to S$205 ($165, £104) a month to rent from the government depending on household income.

She is not employed and receives groceries worth S$70 from individual donors every month.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos recently that although it was ''no fun'' being poor in Singapore, people were still ''less badly off'' than the poor in other countries, including the US.