With medical research advancing rapidly and life expectancy continuing to increase, our population is getting older and older.

National statistics suggest that the amount of over-90s living in the Braintree district will almost double over the next ten years.

It is clearly welcome news for every one of us that our chances of a full and long life are on the increase.

But the trend creates a new dilemma - how do we ensure all our elderly people are properly cared for?

Read our in-depth report in this week's newspaper