Editorial

Abstract

We  live on a  planet where  the  life  expectancy  of many of  its  people  has  risen  dramatically  since  the  mid-20th  Century.  A  baby  born  in  Japan  in  1900  was  expected  to  live  only  to  age  50; now,  the  average  age  is  83  years  (National  Institute on Aging, 2011). As a result, the number of people over age 65 has  exploded. In 2008, it was estimated at 506 million; by 2040, it will exceed 1 billion. And, as  our longevity increases, the number of individuals in the ‘oldest old’ group (85 years+) increases dramatically.  Globally,  the  size  of  this  group  is  expected  to  increase  by 350% by  2050;  the  number of individuals over 100 will increase by 1000%.