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Full-Text Articles in Gerontology
Canada's Oldest Old: A Population Group Which Is Fast Growing, Poorly Apprehended And At Risk From Lack Of Appropriate Services, Jacques Légaré, Yann Décarie, Kim Deslandes, Yves Carrière
Canada's Oldest Old: A Population Group Which Is Fast Growing, Poorly Apprehended And At Risk From Lack Of Appropriate Services, Jacques Légaré, Yann Décarie, Kim Deslandes, Yves Carrière
Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Discussion Paper Series/ Un Réseau stratégique de connaissances Changements de population et parcours de vie Document de travail
The future of population aging in industrialised countries, including Canada, will be driven not by lower fertility but by extensions in life expectancy. Declining mortality will have the most effect on the oldest age groups.
In this context, Peter Laslett’s (1989) ideas on rethinking traditional approaches to the life cycle are fundamental. He argues that we need to move from three stages of life to four: childhood; adulthood; then the new third age lasting from retirement until old age, which becomes the fourth age (or the oldest-old).
This report examines the present and future characteristics of the oldest old, and …