Longevity of Older Persons and Future Health Care Implications

In Bangladesh because of increasing life expectancy and falling fertility elderly population has been increasing. . The population projection data show that depending upon the achievement of replacement fertility by 2025 one in 10 persons will be elderly and by 2050 one in 5 persons will be elderly. Bangladesh will face many constraints in managing the challenges for large elderly population. This includes factors such as changing family structure, poverty, social and cultural norms, and inadequate health care facilities for the elderly population. This paper investigates increase longevity and decline in fertility are combining to convert the population age structure from young to old. This situation has implications on the family health care of the older persons and unmet need of health care services in the public sector. The support index shows that there will be fewer persons to support elderly population in future with implications in traditional family care.