December 2021

Pensions protected during COVID-19 pandemic but ageing challenges persist, says OECD

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll among elderly people although retirees have seen their pension payments well protected across OECD countries. Future pension entitlements have also been well protected thanks to the exceptional policy response to the crisis, according to a new OECD report. Pensions at a Glance 2021 says however that the long-term financial pressure from ageing persists. Pension finances deteriorated during the pandemic due to lost contributions, and shortfalls have been mainly covered by state budgets....

Priorities for social security Trends, challenges and solutions

Priorities for social security Trends, challenges and solutions

By ISSA This report is the result of collective efforts by the professional staff of the Social Security Development branch of the General Secretariat of the International Social Security Association and external experts. Staff were assigned responsibility for authoring specific chapters and sections for this seminal report. Get the book here 695 views

How Technology Can Support Healthy Aging

As populations are aging around the world, people are spending more time in poor health. In 2019, the global average time spent in poor health was 10 years, up from 8.6 years in 2000. The COVID-19 pandemic has now exacerbated health risks for the elderly, while straining the capacity of health and care systems to cope with growing demand. This moment calls for a re-examination of how the elderly can age well: independently, well cared for and happily. Below are...

Latin America and the Caribbean is ageing rapidly, however the projections may be better than expected

The region is projected to experience a rapid change in its population’s age structure. The proportion of citizens older than 65 will more than double in the next three decades. However, rethinking ageing in terms of health is crucial to inform public policy, argue Diego Wachs (LSE) and Andres Roman Urrestarazu (Stanford University). Read also Private pension plans in Latin America and sustainable finance Latin America and the Caribbean will experience a rapid change in their population structure over the next...

US. Treasury Sets 2021 Retirement Plan Amendment Deadlines

The IRS has issued its required amendments list for 2021, setting deadlines for changes in qualification requirements for employee benefit plans and end-dates for remedial amendment periods. The remedial amendment period lets employers retroactively fix plan modifications that inadvertently altered their tax status. Generally, employers have until the end of 2023 to make those changes for 2021 amendments. The required amendments pertain to individually designed retirement plans and 403(b) group annuity plans but exclude government-sponsored health and retirement benefits. Read more @Bloomberg...

How Staying Physically Active May Protect the Aging Brain

Staying physically active as we age substantially drops our risk of developing dementia during our lifetimes, and it doesn’t require prolonged exercise. Walking or moving about, rather than sitting, may be all it takes to help bolster the brain, and a new study of octogenarians from Chicago may help to explain why. The study, which tracked how often older people moved or sat and then looked deep inside their brains after they passed away, found that certain vital immune cells...

November 2021

India's fertility rate falls below replacement level. What it means.

India’s fertility rate falls below replacement level. What it means.

India's national Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen below 2.0 for the first time, as per the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The findings covered 11 states and three union territories that were not included in the first set of data released in December 2020. The latest set of findings of the NFHS 2019-21 survey released by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday revealed that the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime has dropped...

China publishes guidelines to enhance the sense of happiness and security of the aging population

In order to effectively address China's aging population, the country issued a set of guidelines on Wednesday on strengthening work on the senior population to enhance the sense of happiness and security of the elderly. According to the Seventh National Population Census, as of November 1, 2020, the elderly population aged 60 and above in China was 264.02 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total. It is estimated that during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, the elderly population in...

How will we make the most of an extra 30 years of life?

Demographers predict that as many as half of the children born in the developed world since 2000 will reach the age of 100 and beyond. Once a rare event, century-long lives will become commonplace by 2050. The near doubling of life expectancy presents a range of challenges — along with yet unrealized opportunities. To the extent that we continue to live our lives according to the norms, institutions and policies based on lives half as long as the ones we...

Aging China outlines plan to improve elderly care services

China is urging some local governments to embark on pilot programmes next year to improve medical and care services for the elderly, with the goal of rolling out the scheme nationwide in 2023. Read also India’s fertility rate falls below replacement level. What it means. Of the 31 provinces, regions and municipalities in mainland China, 15 should launch their local pilot schemes for better medical and care services for the elderly next year, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a...