Health and Mortality among Elderly Populations

Recent mortality trends have been positive for the elderly and their expected survival. The literature is vast, but it often ignores the uncertainties and complications that result from these trends. This volume pinpoints the most recent trends in the survival of the elderly and in their physical and mental health. It also describes possible scenarios for the early decades of the twenty-first century. The first section is dedicated to debating the age at which people become 'elderly' and to analysing the application of evolutionary theory to demographic models of human mortality. The second section looks in more detail at different aspects of morbidity and mortality trends and their underlying causes. The third section deals with mortality projections, ranging from the hypotheses to problems of methodology. The fourth section covers social and health strategies to improve the survival and quality of life of the elderly, in view of the fact that more and more people may expect to live longer and longer