Saturday, May 1, 2010

Statistics on the Aging Population

FROM: LIFE IN THE YEARS - AGING

Statistics on the Aging Population


According to the US Census Bureau projections, the elderly population will more than double between now and 2050 to 80 million. Today, 30 million households are providing care for an adult over the age of 50 - and that number is expected to double over the next 25 years.


Here are some important facts about the elderly population in our country:
- 5 million seniors live on less than $10,000 annually
- 29% skipped treatments, tests or prescriptions because of costs
- 25% of seniors survive on social security alone
- An estimated 5 million regularly sacrifice food to pay bills
- 52% are living with a disability
- People over 65 face the highest suicide rate of any demographic in the country
- Heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, stroke, accidents, Alzheime'rs disease and diabetes are the
leading causes of death among those 65 and older. Alzheimer's is the fastest growing cause of them all.
- According to the CDC, Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and there's no
cure. Its affect on families and our society is significant, and it accounts for 34% of all Medicare spending.

Ensuring the well-being of our elderly requires a renewed emphasis and focus on a plan for care that
addresses all aspects of aging in America - personal, financial, work and health - while providing them with
more desirable home and community-based care options. We are all responsible for making this happen.
We need to ensure that facilities, communities, programs and policies are developed to truly consider the
quality of life for our elderly.
What can you do? 1. Understand the issues that elderly face - visit websites, talk to others, etc.
2. Support programs in your area - donate, volunteer, etc. Take some action, no matter how small.
3. Care - One of the biggest issues elderly face is lonliness. Reach out to an elderly person and offer to
help in some small way. Most of us have a family member or neighbor who could use a hand. A phone call
or a visit now and then can make a big difference to someone who thinks the world doesn't care.

Here are some links to more information on health issues that affect the elderly. We encourage you to
read more about it and talk to others about the issues.

Here are links to sites with information on issues that affect our aging population:

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