NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS MEETING ON POPULATION AGEING, LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF OLDER PERSONS

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS MEETING ON POPULATION AGEING, LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF OLDER PERSONS

TO CONSIDER ISSUES, POLICY RESPONSES AT HEADQUARTERS 8-10 FEBRUARY

The United Nations Technical Meeting on “Population Ageing and Living Arrangements of Older Persons: Critical Issues and Policy Responses” will take place in Conference Room 6 at United Nations Headquarters from 8 to 10 February 2000.

Organized by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with financial support from the United States National Institute on Ageing, the meeting will bring together some 20 experts from different world regions to address: key issues concerning population ageing and living arrangements of older persons; how living arrangements of older persons influence the demand for formal and informal support systems; and how governments are responding to these needs. The other goals of the meeting are to improve the knowledge base, identify priorities for future research and raise the long-term visibility of ageing-related issues.

To launch the meeting, a Forum on “Population Ageing: Critical Issues and Policy Responses” will be held on 8 February from 10:30 to 11:30 in Conference Room 6. The panelists for the Forum are: Barbara Crossette, United Nations Bureau Chief, New York Times (Moderator); Professor Nana Apt, University of Ghana; Antonio Golini, University of Rome; Elizabeth Mullen, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP); and Peter Peterson, The Blackstone Group, New York.

One in five, that is the approximate number of older persons living alone. According to recent estimates by the United Nations Population Division, some 71 million persons around the world, aged 65 years or older, currently live alone. Today, there are more than 600 million older persons (60 years or older) in the world. By 2050, this number is expected to more than triple, to almost 2 billion older persons, at which time the number of older persons will exceed the number of children for the first time in history.

The consequences of population ageing extend beyond more developed countries to also include a number of less developed countries. The living arrangements of older persons have profound implications for the provision of formal and informal support systems upon which older persons depend for their survival. Older women and the oldest old (80 years or older) are particularly at risk, because of the greater incidence of living alone among these two groups.

- 2 - Press Release Note No. 5600 3 February 2000

Concerned by the looming pension “crisis”, a number of governments are promoting more self-reliance in income security for older persons and greater family responsibility for the provision of care-giving. Consequently, care- giving strategies are emerging as one of the pre-eminent issues related to the future viability of pension schemes, as well as the situation and well-being of older persons.

With population ageing, the problems associated with the “sandwich generation” have gained increasing prominence. Members of this “in-between” generation are often torn between the needs of raising children, caring for ageing parents and job responsibilities.

Most countries, especially in developing regions where formal support systems are inadequate or lacking, rely almost exclusively on the extended family to care for older persons. In countries with formal support systems, the trend to shift responsibilities of care giving from public support to the family has increased the demands placed on the family, which usually means women.

For more information, please contact Joseph Chamie, Director, Population Division at 963-3179 or Bill Hass of the Department of Public Information at 963-0353. Additional information is also available on the Web site of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, .

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