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AEHC Educational Emphasis
July 1,
2011 - June 30, 2013
Major Focus - Gerontology and Health
The face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically – and
rapidly, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, commissioned by
the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Today’s older Americans are very
different from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of
disability, achieving higher levels of education and less often living
in poverty. And the baby boomers, the first of whom celebrated their
60th birthdays in 2006, promise to redefine further what it means to
grow older in America.
Among the trends:
- The United State population aged 65 and over is expected to
double in size within the next 25 years. By 2030, almost 1 out
of every 5 Americans – some 72 million people – will be 65 years or
older. The age group 85 and older is now the fastest growing segment
of the U.S. population.
- The health of older Americans is improving. Still, many are
disabled and suffer from chronic conditions. The proportion with
a disability fell significantly from 26.2 percent in 1982 to 19.7
percent in 1999. But 14 million people age 65 and older reported
some level of disability in Census 2000, mostly linked to a high
prevalence of chronic conditions such as heart disease or arthritis.
- The financial circumstances of older people have improved
dramatically, although there are wide variations in income and
wealth. The proportion of people aged 65 and older in poverty
decreased from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2003, mostly
attributed to the support of Social Security. In 2000, the poorest
fifth of senior households had a net worth of $3,500 ($44,346
including home equity) and the wealthiest had $328,432 ($449,800
including home equity).
- Higher levels of education, which are linked to better
health, higher income, more wealth and a higher standard of living
in retirement, will continue to increase among people 65 and older.
The proportion of Americans with at least a bachelor’s degree
grew five-fold from 1950 to 2003, from 3.4 percent to 17.4 percent,
and by 2030, more than one-fourth of the older population is
expected to have an undergraduate degree. The percentage completing
high school quadrupled between 1950 and 2003, from 17.0 percent to
71.5 percent.
- As the United States as a whole grows more diverse, so does
the population aged 65 and older. In 2003, older Americans were
83 percent non-Hispanic White, 8 percent Black, 6 percent Hispanic
and 3 percent Asian. By 2030, an estimated 72 percent of older
Americans will be non-Hispanic White, 11 percent Hispanic, 10
percent Black and 5 percent Asian.
- Changes in the American family have significant implications
for future aging. Divorce, for example, is on the rise, and some
researchers suggest that fewer children and more stepchildren may
change the availability of family support in the future for people
at older ages. In 1960, only 1.6 percent of older men and 1.5
percent of women aged 65 and older were divorced. But by 2003, 7
percent of older men and 8.6 percent of older women were divorced
and had not remarried. The trend may be continuing. In 2003, among
people in their early 60s, 12.2 percent of men and 15.9 percent of
women were divorced.
In general, older people in the United States are healthier than
in the past, with lower rates of disability. Still a significant
proportion suffers from health problems and chronic disease, and causes
of death have not changed dramatically:
- The rates of disability and functional limitation among the
older population have declined substantially over the past two
decades; about one in five older Americans report having chronic
disability.
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