The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging

Modern westernised societies are slowly coming to terms with the fact that increasing proportions of their native-born population are past what has been the normal point of retirement and are suffering from diseases and disorders associated with old age. This is not the case in the rest of the world: – in most countries, from Egypt to Iran to Guatemala, the average age is under 30 and the truly elderly form a tiny minority. As I pointed out elsewhere, “Modern developed societies are historical anomalies, having a high proportion of people of my age and upwards, coupled with the disappearance...