Medical care over the past century has improved dramatically. As a consequence, the world's population is increasingly living Long into old age. Is this having a harmful effect on societies across the globe, or are there more benefits than drawbacks? One obvious issue with an ageing population is that it can create enormous demands on a nation's health service. As people live longer into their old age, the chances of them suffering from serious illnesses increases. As a result, the likelihood of them requiring medical treatment becomes higher, and it becomes more difficult to provide care for everyone. A further downside is that living longer does not necessarily bring happiness. By this I mean, an older person is unable to do many of the activities that they want to do, leading to the likelihood of depression and a deterioration in their physical health. Having said that, one obvious benefit to people living longer is that young people can benefit for a longer time from the wisdom handed down to them by older members of their families. In today's fast-paced world, it is often comforting to seek advice from older generations. Consequently, the physical health of a grandparent is almost irrelevant, as the children and grandchildren will benefit from the experience of an older mind. What is more, retired people today are generally much healthier than they have ever been, and often enjoy their lives more than they did when they were young. They have the best of both worlds - a family that can care for and look up to them, and better health than at any time in human history. Weighing up both sides of the argument again, although there are a number of problems that old age brings - predominantly health-related - the benefits that it brings to the family unit and to society as a whole are impossible to ignore.