Are you a third-ager? A senior? Maybe a silver surfer? These are all relatively polite ways of expressing the stark reality that you are getting old - or already are.

In some Western societies, old age is viewed almost as a certified ailment, a troublesome problem that must be confronted. By contrast, in China and other Asian societies, advancing years tend to be associated with greater wisdom and maturity rather than an inevitable descent toward unproductive senility.

However, in an era of changing demographics, policy planners in many parts of the world have to face up to similar challenges presented by their aging populations.