to wonder how the UK is going to fund the healthcare/pensions of the rapidly ageing population?

[Orwellian]

Considering there aren't enough jobs (apparently) and the country is already heavily in debt, I don't understand how the UK is going to be able to fund health care or pensions for the older generation. Apparently half of all children born after 2007 are likely to live to 100. Seems like a timebomb waiting to explode.

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/24/britain-ageing-population-lords-inquiry

You are right it is a time bomb waiting to explode. This should have been addressed 30 years ago.

I think the pension auto enrolment is a good thing but its too little too late. I think at some point tax rises will have to rise massively but it's hard to imagine that under a Tory Government. Retirement will be a thing of the past. People in the fortunate position of owning their own home will have to downsize to fund their retirement. Poorer pensioners will be living hand to mouth and relying on charity handouts.

It all seems pretty bleak at the moment. I don't think the UK will be a nice place to be 5 years from now, let alone 40.

My husband's work has recently cut his pension pay out in half! So I guess more companies will be doing similar to pay for those currently drawing a pension.

Living longer was always a poisoned chalice in a lot of ways.

I have a good friend who works as a Social Worker for vulnerable adults, mainly cases to do with the elderly. I cry when she tells me stories about how the elderly are treated.

Forms that take hours to complete to get funding and an 8 second 'rejected' email sent within 24 hours.

The future scares me and I try not to talk about her work as it really upsets me.

They're not. We're being softened up for regular increases in state pension age for the forseeable.

This anomaly, where people have 20+ year retirements is just that, an anomaly. The generation before our grandparents didn't have it and we won't have it either.

The biggest concern for me is the number of "healthy" years we can expect to have. It won't be anything like the projected life expectancy, so assuming that you can work until you drop is foolish. I suspect families will need to pick up a great deal of the slack for their elderly dependents, or there will be a return to some sort of workhouse/poorhouse collective "care" for the indigent elderly.

Scary times.

Most of us will have to work until we drop. I think retirement will be for the wealthy only.