Britain already no country for old men today has the 'ticking timebomb' of more and more old men living with cancer tomorrow

An article in 'The Guardian' this week was entitled :

Number of older people living with cancer 'to treble' by 2040

It made the following points, that :

* nearly a quarter of all older people will be living with cancer within 30 years meaning that  the number of old men and women living with it will more than treble by 2040 and experts, warn of a 'ticking timebomb' for society if the National Health Service and social care systems are not geared up to help them in time.

* 'Macmillan Cancer Support' said that the number of over-65s who receive a cancer diagnosis will go up from 1.3 million in 2010 to 4.1 million in 2040 and 23% will be living with cancer within 30 years as opposed to 13% at present.

* Ciarán Devane, Chief Executive of 'Macmillan Cancer Support', said:

 "The care of older cancer patients is the ticking time bomb for society.These stark predictions should act as a warning to the NHS and social care providers of the problems ahead if older cancer patients are not offered the best treatment and support. We have a moral duty to give people the best chance of beating cancer, regardless of their age. For cancer survival to improve, older people must be given the right treatment at the correct level of intensity, together with the practical support to enable them to take it up.The barriers to older people getting treatment must be tackled. If we don't get this right now, many older people will be dying unnecessarily from cancer in the future,"

Old Men of Britain have no fear and sleep easy in you beds, a Government spokesperson at the 'Department of Health' has said:

 "It's good news that improvements in cancer treatment mean more people are surviving after cancer. We know more can be done to improve cancer care for older people, which is why we are working with 'Macmillan Cancer Support' and 'Age UK' on a £1m programme to ensure that older people's needs are properly assessed and met. From 1 October 2012, it will be unlawful to discriminate in health and social care on the basis of age. Adults of all ages will benefit from better access to services, and for the first time people will have a legal right to redress from the courts if they are unjustifiably discriminated against because of their age."