Islamset - It's not matter of numbers

Any discussion of the aging of world populations must join the qualitative to the quantitative. We cannot speak of life expectancy without also considering what we can expect from life. Concentrating on aging only in terms of a lengthened chronology would be nothing more than addled arithmetic. But neither are numbers irrelevant. Quality of life does come at a cost. Unfortunately there is a close connection between the meaning we all wish to find in life at any age and our ability to pay for the social infrastructure that a meaningful life requires.

Dr Darnton-Hill touches on many of the issues that arise as demographic trends move us towards a new kind of society. The problem with his excellent arguments, however, is that they virtually ignore the issue of development. In his first paragraph he states: " Aging, previously regarded as an emerging trend mainly in the industrialized countries, is now recognized as a global phenomenon. In 1990 more than half (55% of 176 million) of the elderly population of the world were living in the so-called developing world; by 2025, the proportion is expected to be 65%." But the implications of this remarkably significant number are left to the imagination, and the rest of the article discusses examples and problems taken almost solely from industrialized countries.

The economics of aging in developing countries

This is not a case of "one size fits all". We should not assume that we need merely to extend to the developing nations what we have learnt about aging and its social and economic context in the industrialized wor1d. In our Third World countries, as populations age, things are and will be different, mainly for economic reasons. In particular, the fiscal inability to supply anything resembling adequate social security will make it necessary for many people in their 60s and 70s to remain economically active. The issues raised by poverty, the need for economic development, and increased numbers of older people are inextricably linked.

The aging of our Third World populations will create tremendous demands for new social services, but make it even more difficult than it is now to pay for them. If we think of the potential ratio of workers to beneficiaries in Western social security systems as a crisis, the same thing in developing countries could be called a catastrophe. The reality for older people in much of the developing world is that they are poor first, and old only second. Any analysis that does not take this into account risks being irrelevant. Third World governments do not have and are not likely tohave the funds to change this situation. As older people become more numerous, they are in danger of being perceived even less than they are now as social assets and more as a drag on development. What shall we do about this? First and foremost, the decline in status of older people in our societies must be reversed.

We cannot speak of life expectancy without also considering what we can expect from life.

Clearly older people - especially those in their 60s and 70s - must be viewed not as liabilities and social enemies but as assets and allies of development. Social and economic planning must take them into account as a resource, as people who hold out a helping hand to society, rather than just another hand waiting for help. The role of older people in society and the need to maintain and increase economic development will thus have to be viewed as part of the same phenomenon.

Strategies

What strategies might we use to work our way through this difficult situation? I do not claim to have all the answers, but I can mention a few small steps that have already been taken, especially in my own country, which, I hope, will eventually add up to the giant strides we will need in a few years' time to cope with new demographic realities.

In the Dominican Republic we have started a successful project in which retired teachers return to the classroom, availing society of the skills and wisdom they spent years developing. Our nation is thus able to draw further dividends from its human capital; and the teachers, mostly women, have a source of both income and respect. There are some kinds of farming in which even disabled elderly people can participate. In demonstration projects in the Dominican Republic, hydroponics (growing crops without soil) has been adapted to people in wheelchairs. The containers that hold the growing crops are raised above ground and can be set at whatever height is convenient.

Small enterprises involving older people have also shown promise. There are many such projects in the Dominican Republic, and in other countries. They range from laundromats to bicycle repair shops and word processing services. Relatively small amounts of money are needed to get them going, and governments need not be their only source of capital. They offer an ideal opportunity for "public/private partnerships" to make a little money go a long way.

In the Dominican Republic we have also recently proposed a national policy on aging based on the International Plan of Action on Aging and the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, designed to integrate older persons into our country's development plans. We encourage other groups in Third World nations to devise similar plans and work hard to get them implemented. As Dr Darnton-Hill points out, demographic change, "together with other deep changes in society, has made traditional ways of under- standing and accommodating the aging process inadequate". Let us strive to make our response to this change sociologically and geographically appropriate.