In this guide
When we plan for life after retirement, we often tend to focus on saving for a comfortable standard of living and travel. It can be difficult to consider anything other than a happy and healthy journey as we get older, even if we know the reality may be very different.
Australians are getting older
Part of the problem is that none of us know how long we'll live and what our health and social supports will be like if we live into our 80s and beyond.
The number of Australians over age 85 is set to increase from 400,000 in 2010 to 1.8 million by 2050. Along with an ageing population comes a rising number of age-related health problems such as arthritis, dementia and cancer.
Changing care landscape
Even without these illnesses, as medical improvements improve longevity, the percentage of people needing care is also expected to grow. Previously, communities could rely on friends and family to provide help if needed in the home, but the landscape for informal care is changing.
