In a long-term prospective cohort study we try to assess selective and protective impacts of early retirement on life expectancy. The results are based on the members of a compulsory German health insurance fund (Gmünder Ersatzkasse). We analyzed 88,399 men and 41,276 women who retired between...

The consequences of population ageing for the public health care system and health care costs may be less severe than is commonly assumed. Hospital discharge data from Germany's largest health insurer (AOK) show that the cost of caring for patients during their last year of life makes up a large...

Die demografische Vergreisung unserer Gesellschaft lenkt das öffentliche Interesse zunehmend auch auf Fragen der Altersversorgung und des Umgangs mit alten Menschen. Hilke Brockmann untersucht die soziale Realität, die sich hinter den statistischen Werten verbirgt. In Quer- und...