Mobility problems set to soar amongst older people

New research has found that there will be a rise in the number of older people in the UK that will be suffering from mobility problems over the next 30 years.

The study, which was conducted by lead researcher Dr Daniela Weber, of the Wittgenstein Centre International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, found that one in five women and one in six men aged 65-plus in the UK will be affected by a physical disability by 2047.

These findings mean that older people will need to consider a number of mobility aids for their home in the future such as baths for the disabled, stairlifts and other aids.

The research found that in the UK in 2017 there are 20.37 per cent of women and 16.07 per cent of men who suffer from mobility problems.

Mobility problems rise as we get older

The study also discovered that while over 20 per cent of women aged 55 to 65 suffered with mobility problems, this figure rose to over 40 per cent amongst women aged 85 and over. There was a similar trend with men as more than 17 per cent aged 55 to 65 had a physical disability, but this increased to over 37 per cent for over 85’s.

Speaking to the Daily Express, Dr Daniela Weber, says, “Even though the trends in the proportion of people with limitations will remain constant, the absolute number of people with severe long term activity limitations will definitely increase since the number of people at older ages is expected to increase in most European countries.

“It might require several measures to accommodate the needs of an increasing number of people with activity limitations such as expanding infrastructure for disabled people in the public as well as private sectors, training of medical specialists and care professionals.”

The research also found that Germany will have the highest number of men and women with mobility issues by 2047 with 22.28 per cent of older women and 17.79 per cent of older men expected to suffer from some kind of mobility problem as the country is expected to have an ageing population.