Designing for the Future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Designing for the Future - Essay Example According to Professor David Leon, epidemiologist of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, WHO (World Health Organisation) Health for All Database, and the Human Mortality Database, statistical analysis of the UK’s life expectancy and lifespan change is the research topic of relevant epidemiological studies. Mortality data reveals â€Å"†¦Britains are living longer than ever before. Average life expectancy has increased to eighty years old – eight years higher than the 1970s† (Leon, 2011, p. 1). The ageing population of Western Europe, including the UK, has experienced steady increases since the 1970s. â€Å"One reason for the increase and change in lifespan and life expectancy is the decline of deaths due to cardiovascular disease. However, there has been an increase in obesity† (Leon, 2011, p. 1) The Foresight Ageing Population Panel is a collaborative of the voices of the businesses, government, and the sciences that address the threats and opportunities that the UK may face over the next ten to twenty years. â€Å"Foresight is about being ready for the future. The future is shaped by the decisions we make today†¦we will encounter old age†¦it is important to be concerned. If we wait for the future to happen to us, the UK will miss out on opportunities for wealth creation and better quality of life† (Foresight Ageing Population Panel, 2000, p. 6). Over the span of thirty years, the UK’s population will change significantly. â€Å"The postwar baby boom generation will age first into middle age and then into older age. Rapid changes in lifespan and life expectancy of the ageing population means that successive generations of older people are living much longer† (p. 6). There are advantages in acknowledging the opportunities and challenges of changes in lifespan of the UK ageing population. By planning for demographic change of the population, economic, social,