ABSTRACT
It is now widely acknowledged that the average life expectancy is on the rise all over the developed world (Neuman 2011). In this context, it is worthwhile to note that by 2025 the median age in Europe will be 44 and 21 percent of its population will be 65 (Wooldridge 2008). This stands in stark contrast to the demographic situation in Africa and Asia, where the median age is, respectively, 20 and 30 ( The Economist 2011b). The implication is that both Europe and Japan (and, to a lesser degree, the United States) are having to cope with the problem of population aging ( The Economist 2011a; European Commission 2005; Ilmarinen 2005; OECD 2006). Of course, increasing life expectancy per se is not — and should not be regarded as — an unequivocally unfavorable phenomenon; on the contrary, from a certain point of view, it bears witness to civilizational advancement in general and exceptional progress in medicine and health care in particular (Zientara 2008b).
