ABSTRACT
It is widely known that the world’s population is ageing, with more developed countries leading the process. According to the United Nations Population Division (2001), globally the number of older persons (aged 60 or over) will more than triple by 2050. The increase in the number of ‘oldest old’ (aged 80 or over) is expected to be more dramatic, being more than five fold. The reason for this demographic trend is a rise in life expectancy and a decline in world fertility (United Nations Population Division, 2001).
