One of the most significant changes in the twentieth
century is increasing aging population and
many countries have already faced t or will experience
it in the near future (1). The improvement of
health situations leading to reduction of death and
child mortality rate, increase of life expectancy and
execution of birth control policies have led to an
increase in aging population (1-4). Statistics show
that two hundred million elderly were living
worldwide in 1950; but the elderly above sixty
years old is now more than six hundred million
and this population is predicted to reach to one
billion in 2020 and one billion, nine hundred seventy
million in 2050. Therefore, based on these
predictions, the number of people over sixty years
old will be equal to the number of children in
2050 for the first time in human history, among
which 70% will live in developing countries (4, 5).
Iran will face these demographic changes as well
and after experiencing the epidemiological transition
of diseases, it should be prepared to confront
aging management issues in the next decades.
Based on the census done by the Statistical Center
of Iran, the number of elderly was six million,
three hundred thousand in 2011 and from 6.6% of
the whole Iranian population in 1996 reached to
8.2% in 2011. Based on the previous studies, the
Iranian over 60 year-old population will be 10%
and 20% in the years 2021 and 2050 respectively
(6). The increase of elderly will bring about new
problems; thus, it is predicted that the global
economy will face many tensions and crises regarding
the provision of social security as well as
health issues. However, given the current situation,
the elderly are faced with three major issues: how
to make a living, diseases and loneliness. To reduce
the consequences of these issues, countries
such as Iran, have created rules and special supports
to use the elderly capabilities in order to
have their needs and costs, especially their medical
costs, met (7).