Going against the stream

If the twentieth century was marked by the terrible ferocity of war and the marvelous advance of science, it was also marked by people living almost twice as long as in the previous century. This increase in lifespan passed almost unnoticed at first, but in the last ten years the problems of an older population have come home to the Western world. The care they need and the fact that with the increase in age goes an increase in frailty poses many new ethical problems. Can we afford to maintain such a large elderly population? How do you respect the autonomy of the elderly? How much should you…