Social Impact
The world population is ageing so fast that the immediate future scenario is one of a demographic ‘bulge’ of elderly. There are now more people in the UK aged 60 and above than there are under 18 and more pensioners than there are children under 16 (Office for National Statistics.1, 2008). The population over 75 is projected to double in the next 30 years (Office for National Statistics.2, 2008).
The resulting strain on the healthcare system is overwhelming; for example, eight million people in the UK live with osteoarthritis (www.arc.org.uk). Demand for treatments for illnesses and conditions, which affect the elderly, will put pressure on healthcare that the system may not be able to cope with in its current state. Other social problems, such as obesity, also threaten to become an epidemic in their own right. This has many cost implications for the healthcare system.
So how do we manage the fact that while in theory we can intervene with ever more sophisticated healthcare, extend life-expectancy and quality, whereas in reality our society will not be able to generate the wealth necessary to do so? Design can provide powerful tools to address some of these issues; from creating compelling communication platforms to address problems, such as obesity from a preventative standpoint to generating products and services that address the needs of real people in the most cost efficient manner. Some of these are discussed in the next section.
Sources
(Office for National Statistics.1, 2008) mid-2007 Population Estimates
(Office for National Statistics.2, 2008)National Population Projections 2006-based