高普考/三四等/高員級◆英文題庫下載題庫

There’s no question that taking care of the elderly and frail脆弱 will incur招致 huge costs, stretching擴大 already overburdened pension養老金 and health-care systems.

But with people living longer and continuing to contribute貢獻 productively to society, we need to recalibrate重新校準 just what we mean by old.

In Japan, for instance, more than a quarter四分之一 of the population is currently at the age of 60 or older, a figure數字 that’s set to reach 42% by 2050.

However, many of these folks人們 are hardly sitting idly不活動 at home. One in three Japanese aged 60 or over is ...

There’s no question that taking care of the elderly and frail脆弱 will incur招致 huge costs, stretching擴大 already overburdened pension養老金 and health-care systems.

But with people living longer and continuing to contribute貢獻 productively to society, we need to recalibrate重新校準 just what we mean by old.

In Japan, for instance, more than a quarter四分之一 of the population is currently at the age of 60 or older, a figure數字 that’s set to reach 42% by 2050.

However, many of these folks人們 are hardly sitting idly不活動 at home. One in three Japanese aged 60 or over is still part of the labor force. Keeping older folks人們 employed is particularly important because by mid-century, says the UN, the world will have more elderly people than children.

By 2050, nearly a third of the developed world’s labor force will be aged 50 or older. Many elderly are spending more, too. While a good chunk大部分 of their savings積蓄、省下的錢 will be needed to fund longer retirements and higher health payments, older people have considerable purchasing power.

Britons over 50 years of age, for instance, control 75% of the country’s wealth. Businesses catering餐飲業 to a so-called所謂 silver economy銀色經濟 are booming, offering everything from elderly-friendly housing to trips for retiree退休人員 globetrotters周遊列國者. With the older generation controlling so much of the world’s money, it’s hardly fair to dismiss解职 senior citizens老年人 as an inevitable不可避免的、必然發生 burden on society.

“Many Japanese are living so long, it’s like they’ve been given second lives,” says Toshiko Katayose, editor of a Tokyo magazine.

“They’re doing everything with energy: working, turning kimonos（日本的）和服 into cool patchwork拼布工藝 designs; even doing math drills訓練、練習 to keep mentally fit. ”