Module 1 – Demographics : Facts on Aging
- Demographics : charting the human population (or counting of the people)
- Ten basic themes in population aging
1. Popular trends
o The seniors share of the population is expected to double in over 3 decades
o There are a lot more older people in Canada + all other countries across the world today
(constantly increasing)
2. Life expectancy
o Life expectancy has increased a lot over the last 50 years
Increased life expectancy does not mean improvement of health or quality of life (it
can mean prolonged illness or delayed death)
o Women live longer than men and the gap is widening
3. Birth, death and immigration
o The mean age is currently 40
o Women are only producing 1.5 children
o There are more births than death; but the death number should surpass the number of births
in Canada by 2025
o The immigration will keep the mean age at a lower level and will keep the population
growing (2/3s of Canadas pop growth comes from internal immigration)
4. Old age dependency ratio
o Not earning money = dependency (childhood/adolescence up to 19 + post-retirement after
65)
o The ratio of old age dependency is supposed to increase by 2021
Influencing factors : people over 19 not working and people over 65 not retiring from
work
5. Visible minorities
o Between 1981 and 2001 visible minorities increased in the seniors group (most were
Chinese)
o Most Aboriginal people do not live in urbanized areas
The health status of aboriginal people is improving but remains lower than the
average Canadians
Elderly aboriginal have higher disability rates (twice as much as average Canadian)
6. Income
o Public pension and income support for elders helped to level out but did not completely
eliminate the inequality seen late in life, especially for :
Widows, immigrants/ aboriginal people, and people with chronic health problems
who were forced to retire early
7. Housing arrangements
, o Most seniors in Canada live in their own home vs an apartment
Growing number of frail elderly (collective housing) and elders who live on their own
and need help with common daily activities
There was an increase in funds to pay for care or assistance to its seniors
8. Self-rated health
o Most seniors have self-rated their health status as excellent or very good but most seniors
have chronic health problems (arthritis-#1 /high blood pressure-#2)
o Older groups have been found to have more eye related problems (cataracts)
o Older groups especially women exercise less with age and could be explained by the
chronic illness
9. Social network
o There are more females than male widows, male tend to remarry but women have less men
to choose from
o Many older people have few close friends and these are important as they age
10. Religion and spirituality
o Older people attend church or another faith regularly more than younger people
o Religion gives them a source of belonging and meaningful human contact
o Spirituality plays a less important role on elders; they don’t differentiate organized religion
to spiritual beliefs
Part 2
Lines -used to compare 2 variations (horizontal and
graphs vertical axis) Weakness :
Strength : - Can be altered to
o Clear increase of decrease data make line look a
o Show specific values (variable easy to certain way even
determine) though the data
o Good to make predictions from; good for data points towards
overtime another conclusion
Bar graphs - Similar to line graphs bur used rectangular bars instead
Strength :
o Enables multiple possible comparisons
o Clearly shows what affects the variable
With one variable it shows it can easily determine the value of another
Pie charts - Are different as they display percentages
(circle Strength :
graphs) o Can easily be misread if a pie shape is left out, not defining what the
parts are for,ect
Shows the pie graph as a whole (100%)
, Population - Shows basic characteristics of the population structure of a specific area at a
Pyramid specific time (eg. Age and gender)
This chart is a descriptor which can be matched with non-demographic variables
to give us further information on a popular structure highlight (eg. Babyboom)
Importance of cohort groups
- We all belong to a specific cohort group
o Author David Foot suggests that each cohort group faces the same problems
Eg. Job opportunities after WWII vs people born after 1980
Notion of the demographic apocalypse
- Demographic determinism : inevitable population explosion
o Impact on the aging society, public resource apocalypse in regards to public resources being
spent (health care models and pensions)
Aging as a social process
Chapter 4 : Population aging : a demographic and geographic perspective
- The study of demography
o Demographers study : why and how populations change with time and become either
smaller, larger or elder due to interrelations with fertility, mortality and migration patterns
o With this they create profiles of nations, religions or communities, explain the current, past
or future trends and with varying assumptions make projections aboyt the future size,
composition and location of the population
These projections often include economic, social and policy issues as a positive or
negative consequence for the society/community
They use tables and figures to show trends/ patterns about past and future
Age groups should be compared because of the different lifestyle and values
- Global demographic and epidemiological transitions
o Demographic transitions : changes in population size and age structures
o Phases (4 inter-related demographic elements)
1. Population explosion : population increase from 1800 to 2001 (1 billion to approx. 6
billions)
2. Population implosion : population of most countries became concentrated in small
areas (young adults moved to the city for work/urban lifestyle)
3. Population displosion : specific geographic areas became more diversified (due to out
migration and immigration)
4. Technoplosion : rapid change of technology development increased disease control
and health promotion (improve public health)
o Epidemiological transition : improvements in health of the nation that change causes of
death (therefore life expectancy at birth rises)
, Infectious, parasites, acute illness to chronic and degenerative disease
These changes happen at different rates in societies : due to personal decisions and
public health policies
- Demographic variations amongst the generations and age cohorts
o Demographics analyse a comparison of the size and composition of a generation (birth
cohort) to the earlier as well as later ones
Eg when fertility rates were of 4 kids per women vs when women started getting an
increase of educational and employemental opportunities
o There is also some economical/ social advantages for front-end boomers (1940) = economic
stability and growth vs back-end boombers (1961) = unemployment
o Each group have different experiences and opportunities but it is also important to examine
the relationships between them
- Demography is not destiny : the misuse of demographics statistics
o Alarmists (apocalyptic demography) argues that elders are becoming a burden to society
The elders are blamed for current social and economic problems (generational
inequality)
Other countries have fast adapted to the population aging and provide them support
- The demography of aging
o Each notion and community adapting to change needs to be planned and requires rational
decisions from either a national or local leader
4 reasons to be optimistic (p.108)
o Demography is observing the worries about economical differences
- Aging in developing countries
o Less developed countries have a smaller portion of the 65 and over population
The aging population is higher in developing nations (eg. China)
o Changes in age structures is due to the decline in fertility rates
This rapid demographic change does not give a lot of time to create policies and an
infrastructure to help meet the health/social needs of older citizens
This effect will be more pronounced in rural areas (less pension plans and less
resources for health care)
- An expanding older population
o Oldest old = 80 years old and over
o There are more oldest old’s in developed countries rather than in developing countries
o In Canada, the older population in 2011 (early boomers turned 65) which represent 27% of
the canadian population
- The significance of demographic indices : show past trends or current situations and future
o The median age is currently of 30 years old ; should rise to 40 by 2050
In Canada, the median age was 41,2 in 2016; median age = number splitting younger
and older pop # into two equals
- Demographics : charting the human population (or counting of the people)
- Ten basic themes in population aging
1. Popular trends
o The seniors share of the population is expected to double in over 3 decades
o There are a lot more older people in Canada + all other countries across the world today
(constantly increasing)
2. Life expectancy
o Life expectancy has increased a lot over the last 50 years
Increased life expectancy does not mean improvement of health or quality of life (it
can mean prolonged illness or delayed death)
o Women live longer than men and the gap is widening
3. Birth, death and immigration
o The mean age is currently 40
o Women are only producing 1.5 children
o There are more births than death; but the death number should surpass the number of births
in Canada by 2025
o The immigration will keep the mean age at a lower level and will keep the population
growing (2/3s of Canadas pop growth comes from internal immigration)
4. Old age dependency ratio
o Not earning money = dependency (childhood/adolescence up to 19 + post-retirement after
65)
o The ratio of old age dependency is supposed to increase by 2021
Influencing factors : people over 19 not working and people over 65 not retiring from
work
5. Visible minorities
o Between 1981 and 2001 visible minorities increased in the seniors group (most were
Chinese)
o Most Aboriginal people do not live in urbanized areas
The health status of aboriginal people is improving but remains lower than the
average Canadians
Elderly aboriginal have higher disability rates (twice as much as average Canadian)
6. Income
o Public pension and income support for elders helped to level out but did not completely
eliminate the inequality seen late in life, especially for :
Widows, immigrants/ aboriginal people, and people with chronic health problems
who were forced to retire early
7. Housing arrangements
, o Most seniors in Canada live in their own home vs an apartment
Growing number of frail elderly (collective housing) and elders who live on their own
and need help with common daily activities
There was an increase in funds to pay for care or assistance to its seniors
8. Self-rated health
o Most seniors have self-rated their health status as excellent or very good but most seniors
have chronic health problems (arthritis-#1 /high blood pressure-#2)
o Older groups have been found to have more eye related problems (cataracts)
o Older groups especially women exercise less with age and could be explained by the
chronic illness
9. Social network
o There are more females than male widows, male tend to remarry but women have less men
to choose from
o Many older people have few close friends and these are important as they age
10. Religion and spirituality
o Older people attend church or another faith regularly more than younger people
o Religion gives them a source of belonging and meaningful human contact
o Spirituality plays a less important role on elders; they don’t differentiate organized religion
to spiritual beliefs
Part 2
Lines -used to compare 2 variations (horizontal and
graphs vertical axis) Weakness :
Strength : - Can be altered to
o Clear increase of decrease data make line look a
o Show specific values (variable easy to certain way even
determine) though the data
o Good to make predictions from; good for data points towards
overtime another conclusion
Bar graphs - Similar to line graphs bur used rectangular bars instead
Strength :
o Enables multiple possible comparisons
o Clearly shows what affects the variable
With one variable it shows it can easily determine the value of another
Pie charts - Are different as they display percentages
(circle Strength :
graphs) o Can easily be misread if a pie shape is left out, not defining what the
parts are for,ect
Shows the pie graph as a whole (100%)
, Population - Shows basic characteristics of the population structure of a specific area at a
Pyramid specific time (eg. Age and gender)
This chart is a descriptor which can be matched with non-demographic variables
to give us further information on a popular structure highlight (eg. Babyboom)
Importance of cohort groups
- We all belong to a specific cohort group
o Author David Foot suggests that each cohort group faces the same problems
Eg. Job opportunities after WWII vs people born after 1980
Notion of the demographic apocalypse
- Demographic determinism : inevitable population explosion
o Impact on the aging society, public resource apocalypse in regards to public resources being
spent (health care models and pensions)
Aging as a social process
Chapter 4 : Population aging : a demographic and geographic perspective
- The study of demography
o Demographers study : why and how populations change with time and become either
smaller, larger or elder due to interrelations with fertility, mortality and migration patterns
o With this they create profiles of nations, religions or communities, explain the current, past
or future trends and with varying assumptions make projections aboyt the future size,
composition and location of the population
These projections often include economic, social and policy issues as a positive or
negative consequence for the society/community
They use tables and figures to show trends/ patterns about past and future
Age groups should be compared because of the different lifestyle and values
- Global demographic and epidemiological transitions
o Demographic transitions : changes in population size and age structures
o Phases (4 inter-related demographic elements)
1. Population explosion : population increase from 1800 to 2001 (1 billion to approx. 6
billions)
2. Population implosion : population of most countries became concentrated in small
areas (young adults moved to the city for work/urban lifestyle)
3. Population displosion : specific geographic areas became more diversified (due to out
migration and immigration)
4. Technoplosion : rapid change of technology development increased disease control
and health promotion (improve public health)
o Epidemiological transition : improvements in health of the nation that change causes of
death (therefore life expectancy at birth rises)
, Infectious, parasites, acute illness to chronic and degenerative disease
These changes happen at different rates in societies : due to personal decisions and
public health policies
- Demographic variations amongst the generations and age cohorts
o Demographics analyse a comparison of the size and composition of a generation (birth
cohort) to the earlier as well as later ones
Eg when fertility rates were of 4 kids per women vs when women started getting an
increase of educational and employemental opportunities
o There is also some economical/ social advantages for front-end boomers (1940) = economic
stability and growth vs back-end boombers (1961) = unemployment
o Each group have different experiences and opportunities but it is also important to examine
the relationships between them
- Demography is not destiny : the misuse of demographics statistics
o Alarmists (apocalyptic demography) argues that elders are becoming a burden to society
The elders are blamed for current social and economic problems (generational
inequality)
Other countries have fast adapted to the population aging and provide them support
- The demography of aging
o Each notion and community adapting to change needs to be planned and requires rational
decisions from either a national or local leader
4 reasons to be optimistic (p.108)
o Demography is observing the worries about economical differences
- Aging in developing countries
o Less developed countries have a smaller portion of the 65 and over population
The aging population is higher in developing nations (eg. China)
o Changes in age structures is due to the decline in fertility rates
This rapid demographic change does not give a lot of time to create policies and an
infrastructure to help meet the health/social needs of older citizens
This effect will be more pronounced in rural areas (less pension plans and less
resources for health care)
- An expanding older population
o Oldest old = 80 years old and over
o There are more oldest old’s in developed countries rather than in developing countries
o In Canada, the older population in 2011 (early boomers turned 65) which represent 27% of
the canadian population
- The significance of demographic indices : show past trends or current situations and future
o The median age is currently of 30 years old ; should rise to 40 by 2050
In Canada, the median age was 41,2 in 2016; median age = number splitting younger
and older pop # into two equals
