Long term care: A demographic timebomb

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Advisers are missing a trick with long-term care insurance, writes Joanna Faith.

The UK is facing a ticking demographic time-bomb thanks to an ageing population. Government figures suggest the number of people aged 85 and over, the ‘oldest old’, has increased rapidly. In 1983, there were just over 600,000 people in the UK aged 85 and over. Since then the number has more than doubled to 1.3 million in 2008. Developments in medical science mean more of us will live longer. By 2033, the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to more than double again to reach 3.2 million, and to account for 5% of the total population. While a welcome statistic for many, the pres...

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