TRENDS IN LONGEVITY, HEALTH, AND FUNCTIONING AMONG VERY OLD PEOPLE—THE NORDIC CASE

• Published in: Innovation in Aging
• Main Authors: Jylha, M.K., Fors, S.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2017
• Subjects: Abstracts; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6241839/; https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.260

The unprecedented decline in old age mortality and the consequent increase of very old people are rapidly changing the landscape of aging, and create new challenges for health and social care. In this symposium we take advantage of several representative population-based studies and exhaustive national registers to explore trends in longevity, health and functioning among very old people, as well as trends in long-term care in the Nordic countries. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden are high-income countries with largely shared egalitarian norms and traditions, and welfare states with universal health care. Since the 1990s, all the Nordic countries have experienced a rapid increase of the very old population and, simultaneously, major reforms in their elderly care. The first paper describes the demographic changes showing remarkable differences between the five countries. The second paper analyses the trends in functioning and health of very old people in Sweden and Finland. The third paper explores whether there are socioeconomic differences in health and functioning of very old people and how these differences have changed over time. The fourth paper analyses the impact of demographic changes and health trends on the use of health and long-term care, using Finland as an example.