Facts on Aging

Facts on Aging Textbook Analysis Project Demographics        By 2050, 21% of the population will be age 65 and over (86.7 million) compared to 12% (36.3 million) currently. The population age 65 and over is projected to increase by 147% between 2000 and 2050 compared to a 49% increase in the population as a whole during this same period. The most rapid growth is among those age 85 or older, who currently form 12% of the total older population (4.9 million), a 300% increase from 1960 to 2000. By 2020, there will be 7 million Americans age 85 or older, and by 2040, 14 million. There were 50,000 Centenarians (those age 100 or older) in 2000, a 35% increase since 1990. By 2025, 1 in 26 Americans can expect to live to age 100 compared to 1 in 500 in 2000. In the U.S., the 49% increase among those 45 to 64 years of age in 2000—the biggest jump of any age group—prefigures the entry of Baby Boomers into the cohort age group 65 and over in 2010. 7,918 of baby boomers will turn 60 each day in 2006 (U. S. Bureau of the Census, 2001a, 2001b; U.S. Administration on Aging, 2002). Geographic Location     The majority (73%) of older persons 65 or older live in metropolitan areas, with 21% in urban areas, 56% suburban and 23% rural. The states with the largest proportion of population age 65 and over are Florida (17%), Pennsylvania and West Virginia (16%), and North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island, and Iowa (15%). The latter states reflect primarily the migration of younger persons out of the state. In 2000, 52% of all adults age 65 and over live in the following 9 states (in descending order) California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey. Baby boomers are 32% of the population in Alaska and 30% in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. By contrast, Utah, with 23 percent, is the only state where baby boomers total less than 25 percent (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000; U.S. Administration on Aging, 2002). Ethnic Minority Composition    16.4% of the population age 65 and older are ethnic minorities: 8 % African American, 5.6% Latino, 2.4 % Asian and Pacific Islander, and less than 1% Native American. Currently, populations of color include a smaller proportion of older adults and a larger proportion of younger adults than the White population. But this will change by 2030 when ethnic minorities will form over 33% of the older population. Asian/Pacific Islanders are the most rapidly growing older ethnic minority population (U.S. Administration Aging, 2003; National Institutes of Health, 2000). 1 Marital Status    54.4 % of adults age 65 and older are married; 18.5% are widowed, divorced, or separated; and 4% have never been married. Women age 65 and older are three times more likely to be widowed than their male counterparts. 44% of older women are widowed while 41% are married and living with their partners. Among men age 65 and over, 71 % are married and only 14% are widowed. Widowed men are 7 times more likely to remarry then widowed women (Connidis, 2001; Federal Interagency Forum, 2000). Sexual Orientation     It is estimated that 1 to 3 million Americans age 65 and older are GLBT (based on 3-8% of the population). By 2030, the GLBT elders are estimated to grow to 2 to 6 million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2004). Older GLBT adults are more likely to age alone and without children. (Hu, 2005). GLBT elders are especially dependent on public and private services for the elderly. However, fears of homophobia may prevent GLBT elders from accessing adequate healthcare care, affordable housing, and other social services (Cahill, South, & Spade, 2000). Gay men and lesbians appear to experience the aging process differently. Some research indicates that older gay men experience ―accelerated aging‖ while lesbians tend to have a more positive attitude toward of aging (Wahler & Gabbay, 1997). Socioeconomic Status         13% of people age 65 and older (4.6 million) are still employed full-time: 17.7 % of men and 9.7% of women. 54% are employed in part time or temporary work (U.S. Administration on Aging, 2002). The median income of households with householders age 65 and over is approximately $23,787. Among these, the median income for Caucasians is $24,114, African Americans $16,761, Latinos $16,870 (US Bureau of the Census, 2001b). Over 90% of older adults receive Social Security benefits (Social Security Administration, 2001). For about 20%, it is their only source of income (Social Security Administration, 2003a). Today, there are 3.3 workers for each Social Security beneficiary; this ratio will be 2.1 in 2031 when all Baby Boomers will be age 65 or older. The poverty rate for older adults is 10.4% compared with 10.1% of those age 18 to age 65, 16.7% of those under age 18, and 18.5% of children under age 6. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2002). This overall rate did not reflect the extreme poverty among elders of color. 13% of women age 65 and over are poor; compared to 7 % of men. 26% of older African Americans and 22% of Latinos are poor compared to 8.2% of Caucasians (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). The rate of poverty increases with age: nearly 50% of those age 85 or over are either poor or nearpoor (Administration on Aging 2002). Most older persons with long-term care needs—65%—rely exclusively on family and friends to provide assistance. Another 30% will supplement family care with assistance from paid providers. 2 Caregiving and Long Term Care       Most older persons with long-term care needs—65%—rely exclusively on family and friends to provide assistance. Another 30% will supplement family care with assistance from paid providers. Care provided by family and friends can determine whether older persons can remain at home. In fact, 50% of elders with long-term care needs but no family caregivers are in nursing homes, while only 7% who have a relative to provide care are in institutional settings. About 25% of American families or 22.4 million households care for someone over the age of 50. The number of American households involved in caregiving may reach 39 million by 2007. Of these caregivers about 75% are women who spend as much as 50% more time providing care than their male peers. About 25% of women caregivers have health problems, most frequently coronary heart disease that may be a result of their care activities (Older Women’s League, 2003); Most are middle-aged: 35-64 years, but a growing number are age 65 and older, with one third of these older caregivers in fair to poor health. Older caregivers often spend the most hours providing care: 28% of caregivers who provide more than 40 hours of care per week are age 65 and older (AoA, 2004; Partnership for Solutions, 2002). Two-thirds of caregivers have paid jobs in addition to caring for another person. The average caregiver is age 46, female, married and working outside the home earning an annual income of $35,000. Among care recipients age 70 and over, Whites are the most likely to receive help from their spouses; Hispanics from their adult children; and African Americans from a nonfamily member (National Academy on an Aging Society, 2000). In a New York Study on older GLBT elders, almost 50% provided some kind of care, either to their family or origin or families of choice (Cantor, Brennan, & Shippy, 2004). The value of the informal care that women provide ranges from $148 billion to $188 billion annually (National Family Caregiver Alliance, 2006; (Arno, 2002; DHHS, 2006; Navaie-Waliser, Feldman, Gould, et al., 2002).      Grandparents Living with Grandchildren Under 18 Years Old     6.3 % of children under age 18 are living in grandparent headed households. Of these children, approximately 4% are Caucasian, 6.5% Latino, and 13.5% African American (Lugailia, 1998). Older single African American women are at highest risk for being primary caregivers to grandchildren at some point in their lives. Grandparents as primary caregivers of grandchildren in skipped generation households are the fastest growing household type. African American children are 6 times more likely than Whites to live in a skipped generation household. (Wallace, 2001). 50% of grandparent caregivers are living on a limited income and/or are not employed (Minkler, 1999). Health Status   34% of people age 65 to 74 and 45% of those age 75 or older are living with chronic health conditions, compared to 18.44% of those age 18 to 44. The most frequently reported chronic conditions causing limitations of activity in persons age 65 or older are arthritis (58%), hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, stroke, 3    cancer. Of low-income elders, 22% report that their health needs go unmet compared to 2.5% of middle and upper income elders. African Americans and Latinos age 70 and older are more likely to suffer from diabetes than Whites, with diabetes as the 4th major cause of death for African Americans. Hypertension is 1.5 times more likely in African Americans than Whites. Approximately 10% of persons age 65 or older and nearly 50% of those age 85 or older suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (Merck Institute, 2002; National Center for Health Statistics, 2003). Nursing Homes     4.5% of persons age 65 or older live in nursing homes (US Bureau of the Census, 2000). Adults age 85 and over comprise almost 50% of the nursing home population (US Bureau of the Census, 2001b). 87% of nursing homes residents are White, 10.4% are African American, and 3% are Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, or Native American (National Center for Health Statistics, 2000). The likelihood of admission into a nursing home increases with age, from 39% (age 65-74) to 49% (age 85 and over) (Seperson, 2002). References American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), (2000). Global Aging Report. Washington, D.C. Administration on Aging, NFCSP Complete Resource Guide, 9 September 2004, http://www.aoa.gov/prof/aoaprog/caregiver/careprof/progguidance/resources/nfcsp_resources_guide.asp Arno, P. S. (2002). The economic value of informal caregiving. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, Florida. Cahill, S., South, K., and Spade, J. (2000). Outing age: Issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender elders. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/outingage.pdf Cantor, M., Brennan, M., & Shippy, R.A. (2004). Caregiving among older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/Caregiving.pdf. Connidis, I. A. (2001). Family Ties and Aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Federal Interagency Forum on Aging. Aging related statistics.(2000). Older Americans 2000: Key indicators of well-being. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office,. Hu, M. (2005). Selling Us Short: How Social Security Privatization Will Affect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Jacobson, S. A., & Grossman, A. (1996). Older Lesbians and Gay Men: Old Myths, New Images, and Future Directions. In Savin-Williams R.C.; and K.M.Cohen eds., The Lives of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals: Children to Adults, Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace. Lugailia, T. (1998). Marital status and living arrangements (series P20-506). Washington, DC: US Bureau of the Census, Current Population reports. Merck Institute of Aging and Health (2002). The state of aging and health in America. Washington, DC: Merck Institute. Minkler, M. (1999). Intergenerational households headed by grandparents: Context, realities, and implications for policy. Journal of Aging Studies, 13, 199-218. 4 National Academy on an Aging Society (2000). Caregiving: Helping the Elderly with Activity Limitations. Challenges for the 21st century: Chronic and Disabling Conditions, No. 7.Washington, DC: Author. Navaie-Waliser, M., Feldman, P. H., Gould, D. A., Levine, C. L., Kuerbis A. N., & Donelan, K. (2002). When the caregiver needs care: The plight of vulnerable caregivers. American Journal of Public Health, 92(3), 409–413. National Center for Health Statistics. (2003). Trends in health and aging. NCHS website: http://www.cdc.gov/aging/index.htm. National Family Caregiver Alliance, http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=892 National Institutes of Health. (2000). Women of Color health data book. Washington, DC: Office of Research on Women’s Health. Older Women’s League. (April 3, 2003). Women and long-term care. Retrieved from http://www.owlnational.org Partnership for Solutions. (2002). Chronic conditions: Making the case for ongoing care. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University. Seperson, S.B. (2002). Demographics about aging. In S.B. Seperson and C. Hegeman (Eds.), Elder care and service learning: A handbook. Westport, CT: Auburn House. Social Security Administration (2003). Fast facts and figures about Social Security. Washington, DC. U. S. Bureau of the Census. (2000). Moving rates among Americans declines. Washington, DC. U. S. Bureau of the Census. (2001a). An aging world. Washington, DC. www.census.gov. U. S. Bureau of the Census. (2001b). The 65 years and over population: 2000. Washington, DC. U.S. Administration on Aging. (2002). A profile of older Americans. Washington, DC. www.aoa.dhhs.gov U.S. Bureau. For the Census (2004). Projected population of the United States, by age and sex: 2000 to 2050. Washington. U.S. Administration on Aging. (2003). Facts and figures: Statistics on minority aging in the US, Washington, D.C.United States Department of Health & Human Services. www.womenshealth.gov, http://www.4woman.gov/faq/caregiver.htm#b Wahler, J., & Gabbay, S. (1997). Gay Male Aging: A Review of the Literature, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 6(3), 12. Wallace, G. (2001). Grandparent caregivers: Emerging issues in elder law and social work practice. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 34, 127-134. 5