Australians are living longer and longer, which is on one hand a beautiful thing. But on the other, prolonged old age is wreaking havoc. So how might we respond to this new demographic situation we find ourselves in?

Lucinda Holdforth is a writer who specialises in looking at what makes good societies flourish, everything from manners to politics and equality.

Most recently, she's set her sights on the unintended negative consequences following the extraordinary increase in life span around the world, particularly in Australia.

In the past 50 years, human life expectancy across the globe has jumped from 46 years old to 73, and in Australia that number is even higher -- an Australian born today is likely to live until they are 84 years old.

On the surface, living longer is a very good thing. It means more time spent with our loved ones, looking at the stars, feeling the sun, living.

But prolonged old age can also be very lonely and painful, and, as Lucinda argues, it is costing society as a whole in many ways.

She has seen this firsthand, as a daughter who supported her own parents in their long old age, and has some surprising suggestions about how we could do things differently to ease the impact on our economy, our medical system, our elderly and our youth.

GOING ON AND ON: Why our longevity threatens our future is published by Simon & Schuster.

This episode was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Eliza Kirsch.

It explores the sandwich generation, carers, women caring for parents, the elderly, dementia, Alzheimer's, Bryan Johnson, biohackers, Blue Zone, how to live longer, Mediterranean diet, tech bros, longevity, muscle mass, aging, deterioration, aged care, death, grief, how to live well, writing, books, old age, diseases of the elderly, tax, taxation, ageism, voting rights, voting age, lower the voting age.

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