AN intriguing picture is painted in new figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS), which depict a likely increase in the number of elderly people living alone in Scotland’s two national parks.
The projected growth in household numbers over the 25 years from 2014 is 6 per cent for Cairngorms National park and 1 per cent for Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. And, while these are less than the increases around Scotland’s biggest cities – between 12 and 24 per cent – it is surely significant that, by 2039, 51 per cent of households in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs area will be headed by people aged 65 or over. That compares to 29 per cent in Aberdeen City and Shire.
Even taking into account the fact people are living longer and starting families later, many of these will be households of one. Overall, in both national parks, the number of single-person households, regardless of age, is projected to rise by more than 20 per cent. Indeed, while the number of households as such is projected to rise, the populations are predicted to decrease.
It is also salutary to note that, despite the narrowing gap in average life expectancy between men and women, the latter are more likely to live alone when over 65. Thus, by 2039 in both national parks, the projections say a third of women over 65 will live alone.
Of course, we needn’t necessarily picture grandmothers living isolated in some wooded nook or mountain-shadowed cottage; these are huge areas containing villages and communities. Nor, in feeling concerned, should we forget the contribution that the so-called “young old” (aged 60-74) in particular make to their local communities: volunteering, invigorating the arts, shopping and, often, still working.
At the same time, while the NRC stresses household numbers in the national parks are relatively small and their demographics difficult to project, an ageing population will be an important factor to consider when planning provision of services in the year ahead.
The figures at least afford a starting point for that.
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