Changing Population Demographics

One of the most interesting pressures that physicians face today is the issue of an aging population. I decided to look into this phenomenon and I found an interesting site called longevity-science.org that talked about this very issue. According to some scholarly predictions, the world's elderly population is expected to rise from 6.9% of the total population today up to 19% by 2050. That is a striking increase, and one that will surely be felt by the medical profession. Orthopedic surgeons will be seeing more joint replacement patients in the years to come since there will be a greater number of elderly individuals leading increasingly active lifestyles. It almost seems improper to refer to today's elderly population as "elderly," considering how physically capable and full of life many of them are. I think it will be great to watch the progression that will take place in the next fifty years. Eventually it will be commonplace to run into centegenarians jogging in the park or lifting weights in the gym. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to be one of them.