Why Did We Create These Apps?
People are living longer. Today’s 80 is yesteryear’s 60. Women typically live 10-15 years longer than men. This means a 90+-year-old woman is more of a reality than a rarity. Most women are 3-5 or more years younger than their husbands/partners. As a result, women living alone for close to 15+ years is becoming more of a norm.
Let us consider 6 countries for our study – Germany, Japan, Russia, USA, India and China. According to the United States Census Bureau, the world population was close to 7 billion on January 01, 2016.
Multi-generational families living together are becoming more of an exception. This means elderly people are living by themselves and not together with their children and grandchildren, or in nursing homes or in assisted living establishments.
Most of age 60+ people are empty nesters. The issue of nursing homes comes up when people reach about age 70+, of course in some cases sooner and in some cases later. Most of the elderly don’t want to move to nursing homes. They want to live in their own homes, however small or large the homes may be.
Because of globalization with use of the Internet, information about the elderly living comfortably is shared instantaneously. If in one country older people start visiting gyms for exercise shortly in other countries the older people start doing the same resulting into a bigger percentage of elderly people living longer. As a result, Europe, which includes 44 countries according to the UN, and the number continues to grow and the rest of the world (195-44= 151 countries) will be facing very similar issues of old age. (There are 193 member states of the UN and 2 non-members – the Holy See (the Vatican), and the State of Palestine).
With our apps, we want to help seniors 50-80+ years of age. About 2 billion out of 7 billion of the total world population are in the age group 50+, which is about 28.5%.
- We selected six representative countries, Germany, Japan, Russian Federation, United States of America, India, and China, for considering the population size:
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-percentage-of-the-world-population-is-over-50
- Germany (35 million are 50-80+ years of age of the population 82.6 million 2015).
- Japan (57.6 million are 50-80+ years of age of the population 127 million 2015).
- Russian Federation (50.74 million are 50-80+ years of age of the population 144.3 million 2015).
- United States of America (109 million are 50-80+ years of age of the 323.1 million 2015).
- India (231.9 million are 50-80+ years of age of the population 1.324 billion 2015).
- China (396.84 million are 50-80+ years of age of the population 1.379 billion 2015)
About 2 billion out of 7 billion are in the age group 50+. That means 33.82%of the world’s population is over 50 years of age. And 26.128% of the world’s population is above 60 years of age.
Currently, six countries account for 12.65% percent of the total number aged 60 years or over:
- Germany (22.2 million out of the population of 82.6 million in 2016).
- Japan (42 million out of the population of 127 million in 2016).
- Russian Federation (28.7 million out of the population of 144.3 million in 2016).
- United States of America (53 million out of the population of 323.1 million in 2016).
- India (104 million out of the population of 1.324 billion in 2016).
- China, with the largest (178 million out of the population of 1.379 billion in 2016).
Currently, six countries account for 9.18% per cent of the total number aged 65 years or over:
- Germany (18 million out of the population of 82.6 million in 2016).
- Japan (33 million out of the population of 127 million in 2016).
- Russian Federation (21 million out of the population of 144.3 million in 2016).
- United States of America (47.8 million out of the population of 323.1 million in 2016).
- India (71 million out of the population of 1.324 billion in 2016).
- China, with the largest (119 million out of the population of 1.379 billion in 2016).
Currently, six countries account for 1.12 percent of the total number aged 80 years or over:
- Germany (3 million out of the population of 82.6 million in 2016 with life expectancy of 81 years in 2015).
- Japan (5 million out of the population of 127 million in 2016 with life expectancy of 84 years in 2015).
- Russian Federation (3 million out of the population of 144.3 million in 2016) with life expectancy of 71 years 2015).
- United States of America (9 million out of the population of 323.1 million in 2016 with life expectancy of 79 years in 2015).
- India (6 million out of the population of 1.324 billion in 2016 with life expectancy of 68 years in 2015).
- China, with the largest number of 12 million out of the population of 1.379 billion in 2016 with life expectancy of 76 years in 2015).
In 2050, each of these six countries will have more than 10 million seniors who will be older than 80 years.
But age takes its toll on what the elderly are capable of managing physically and mentally.
And this is the group that has been neglected by the rapidly changing mobile world.
Children and grandchildren of the elderly are living longer too. But they don’t necessarily live near their senior family. The world has gotten closer because of the Internet and various technologies, but the same technologies have separated those same families.
When seniors need to get medical attention, and need reminders—to take medicine for example (because an 80-year-old brain isn’t as crisp as a 40-year-old brain) —they have no one to turn to.
Loneliness is a leading cause for poor physical and mental health among seniors, leading to early death of natural causes or as a result of suicide.
We want to help seniors 65+ years of age with our YintMint – Your Interest My Interest) app by creating small communities, with a radius of possibly one to two miles, of people who have similar interests, to provide social contact, and who can possibly come to the rescue when children and grandchildren are more than an hour or much longer drive away.
