Questions of Old People

Questions
1.What percent of older Americans are healthy?
Older Americans are healthier, with 19.7% suffering from a disability in 1999, versus 26.2% in 1982. About 80% of seniors have at least one chronic health condition, and 50% have at least two. The percentage of obese elderly Americans continues to expand, with about 33 percent of men and 39 percent of women considered obese in 1999-2000, up from 24 percent and 27 percent, respectively, in 1988-94.

2.At what age are you considered old? 65 according to most surveys relating to the older population

3.What percent live in poverty?
The proportion of Americans 65 and older living in poverty declined from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2003, largely because of the safety net of Social Security.

4.What percent are divorced?
Changes in family structure, specifically more divorce, fewer children and more stepchildren, may mean less family support for this older segment of the population. In 1960, 1.6 percent of older men and 1.5 percent of older women were divorced. By 2003, 7 percent of older men and 8.6 percent of older women were divorced and had stayed single.

5.What percent of old people are disabled?
In Census 2000, some 14 million people 65 and older reported some level of disability, most of it related to chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, arthritis or respiratory disorders.

6.What percent of older americans live in nursing homes?
Despite the graying of the nation, the percentage of elderly living in nursing homes has declined, according to Census data released today. About 7.4% of Americans aged 75 and older lived in nursing homes in 2006, compared with 8.1% in 2000 and 10.2% in 1990. More than 1.8 million people live in nursing homes.

SOURCES: Visiting Nurse Service of New York, New York City; March 9, 2006, U.S. National Institute on Aging report, 65+ in the United States: 2005, Mia Oberlink, project director, AdvantAge Initiative,

7.How long does the average person live?
According to the report, average life expectancy for U.S. residents in 2003 increased by nearly four months from an average of 77.3 years in 2002 (Mestel, Los Angeles Times, 3/1).

8.What are the leading causes of death for old people?
The report found that the age-adjusted mortality rate for the United States in 2003 was about 831.2 deaths per 100,000 residents (Bowman, Scripps Howard/Detroit News, 3/1).

Increases for Some Conditions
Relative to 2002, the report also found increased mortality rates for some conditions, including:

* A 5.9% increase for Alzheimer's disease;
* A 5.7% increase for hypertension;
* A 2.1% increase for kidney disease; and
* A 3.4% increase for Parkinson's disease.


As a result of the increased mortality rate for Parkinson's disease, the condition replaced murder as one of the top 15 causes of death in the United States (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 2/28).

9.What is declining causes of death for old people?
The report found that from 2002 to 2003, mortality rates for:

* Heart disease declined by 3.6%;
* Cancer declined by 2.2%;
* Stroke decreased by 4.6% (Washington Times, 3/1);
* HIV-related deaths declined by 4.1% (Los Angeles Times, 3/1);
* Chronic respiratory disease declined by 0.7%;
* Flu and pneumonia declined by 3.1%;
* Accidents decreased by 2.2%;
* Suicide declined by 3.7% (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 2/28);
* Alcohol-related illnesses declined by 4.3%;
* Drug-related causes decreased by 3.3%; and
* Work-related injuries decreased by 13%.

10.How many older Americans are there?
There were some 33.5 million people 65 years of age or older in 1995, representing
The older population will continue to grow. The growth will slow during the 1990s because of the relatively small number of babies born during the Depression, and will increase most rapidly between 2010 and 2030, when the "baby boom" generation reaches age 65. There will be about 70 million older Americans in 2030, more than twice as many as in 1990. They are expected to represent about 20 percent of the population at that time.

12. What percentage of old people die in care homes?
Old people who died in care homes increased from 1989 (5.7%) to 2001 (16.2)

More Sources; The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, published for kaisernetwork.org,http://www.dcba.org/public/elderpoints.htm