Elderly People of Yesterday and Today: Strengths and Critical Points

Marina Musci, ISTAT
Cinzia Castagnaro , Italian National Statistical Institute
Emanuela Bologna, ISTAT
Lorenzo Di Biagio, ISTAT
Sabrina Prati, Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT)

The aging process of the Italian population is gradually leading to a shift in the very concept of old age. Not only because the elderly of today live longer than the elderly of the past, but also because their living conditions have progressively and significantly improved. The objective of this work is to analyze the changes that have occurred in the elderly population over the past 25 years by firstly comparing indicators related to different areas of life and then adopting a multivariate approach in order to highlight the determinants of these changes. The results show a gradual spread of active and proactive behaviours, accompanied by an improvement in lifestyles, although gender and territorial differences persist. On the other hand, today's elderly seem to be less satisfied with friends and family relations, and with leisure time. A final consideration is placed on sustainability: with the progressive increase in the Italian elderly population, both in absolute and relative terms, it is inevitable that vulnerable and non-self-sufficient people will increasingly weigh down our social and health care system. Accommodating policies aimed at addressing the multiple impacts of population ageing are urgently needed and require a comprehensive and multidimensional approach.

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 Presented in Session P2. Health, Mortality, Ageing - Aperitivo