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Ageing, Meaning and the Allocation of Resources

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Harry R. Moody
Harry R. Moody
Affiliation:
Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College, 425 East 25th Street, New York, N.Y. 10010–2590, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Different scenarios for an ageing society presume different approaches to the meaning of old age. One scenario anticipates a Prolongation of Morbidity, where quality of life concerns might permit active euthanasia or suicide as a means of saving money. Those who believe in a Compression of Morbidity opt for health promotion to delay morbidity in favour of productive ageing. Optimists look to a scenario of Lifespan Extension, where scarce health resources are not expended for incremental gains in life expectancy but rather for basic research to postpone or eliminate ageing. Finally, those who emphasize Voluntary Acceptance of Limits identify the meaning of old age with voluntary acceptance of finitude, where claims of future generations might limit longevity for any one generation. Thus, contrasting meanings such as quality of life, productive ageing, indefinite survival and voluntary limits entail very different consequences for the allocation of scarce resources across age-groups and among sub-groups of the elderly population.

Keywords

Meaningcompression of morbiditylifespan extensionpopulation ageingcost containmentgenerational equityquality of lifeproductive ageing.
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 163 - 184
Copyright
Copyright Cambridge University Press 1995

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