Robin <mixent...@aussiebroadband.com.au> wrote:
> The economic impact of an aging population can be mitigated by increasing > automation, which makes it possible for fewer > young people to continue to produce enough to support the elderly. I strongly agree. When there are not enough workers for any reason, that spurs the development of technology to replace people, and the problem goes away. Old people have specific needs that seem to call for a lot of human labor. Especially nursing and caretakers. I hope the need for such labor is reduced by things like robots, wearable robots (exoskeletal assisted walking for patients, and lifting for nurses), baths with doors that open at the side, and so on. These things are becoming more common in Japan, where the population is old and starting to decline. Social policies can also reduce the problems of old age. In Japan, there is a concerted effort to let old people live at home for as long as possible. I know several people in their 80s who are at home and doing well. For some of them, the town sent work crews around to build wheelchair ramps and so on, and someone to check on them. This is far cheaper than a nursing home. And, needless to say, the old people want to stay home.
