SOC246H1 Chapter : The Compression of Morbidity Summary
Document Summary
Aging, natural death and the compression of morbidity. The avg length of life has risen from 47-73 years in this cent, but the max life span has not increased. Survival curves have assumed an ever more rectangular form. 80% of the years of life lost to non-traumatic, premature deaths are now due to the chronic diseases of the later yrs. Chronic illness may be postponed by changes in life style, and it has been shown that the physiologic and psychologic markers of aging may be modified. The avg age at first infirmity can be raised, thereby making the morbidity curve more rectangular. Extension of adult vigor far into a fixed lifespan compresses the period of senescence near the end of life. This article discusses a set of predictions that contradict the conventional anticipation of an ever older, ever more feeble, and ever more expensive-to-care-for populace.
