Inaccurate Age Estimates and Pension Fraud among the Elderly

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Age estimates of the elderly can be highly inaccurate as many don't possess birth certificates or know their true age. This can be due to genuine mistakes or deliberate attempts to commit pension fraud. A study by Sol Neumann of the University of Oxford examined centenarians and super centenarians in America, Britain, Italy, France, and Japan. It found that areas with high reported longevity also tended to have lax record keeping or higher instances of pension fraud. For instance, poorer areas with more crime were more likely to have individuals reaching extraordinary ages. This revelation puts a wrinkle in retirement plans to move to Italy for a long and healthy life.

Another shutdown standoff, funding worries for Ukraine, more leadership chaos: the booting of America’s speaker of the House of Representatives bodes ill for governance. “Jawan”, a new Indian film, is non-stop action with Bollywood flourishes—and reveals how divisions in the country are being bridged (9:26). And an investigation of places where centenarians are abundant suggests healthy lifestyles are not the cause (17:55).

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