Care in old age
The last century saw great improvements in life expectancy. A woman of 60 can expect on average to live another 23 years, and a man of 65 another 15 years.
However, the number of years we can expect to enjoy without serious long-term illness or disability, has remained remarkably stable at around 59 years for the average man and 62 years for the average woman.
So, as we live longer, we can expect more health problems and, as you might expect, the older we get, the greater the likelihood of failing health.
Many of us will eventually become unable to cope on our own with normal daily activities and will require help and support from others.
However, care in old age can be extremely expensive so it's important to plan ahead.
In this section we look at: