Big rise in number of centenarians

A cash boost of about £1.5bn will be needed soon to pay for care for the growing number of people over the age of 80, a health expert said yesterday.

In 15 years, 5.1 per cent - or 3.1 million people - out of a population of 62 million would be over the age of 80, said Professor Nick Bosanquet, Professor of Health Studies at London University. This compared with 3.1 per cent - or 2.1 million - out of 58 million in 1990, he told a conference in London.

The number of centenarians had risen from 300 in 1951 to 4,390 in 1991, he said, and forecast that £1.5bn would be needed in the immediate future to pay for 100,000 more places in nursing and residential homes.

"Change in demography points to a reappraisal of the balance between home and institutional support, with the concentration of funding on developing new approaches to helping people continue to live in their own homes," he said.