Characteristics of the Older Population
Young-old: 60 to 74 years
o Example: a 66-year-old may desire cosmetic surgery
to stay competitive in the executive job market
Middle-old: 75 to 84 years
o Ex: a 74-year-o
...
Characteristics of the Older Population
Young-old: 60 to 74 years
o Example: a 66-year-old may desire cosmetic surgery
to stay competitive in the executive job market
Middle-old: 75 to 84 years
o Ex: a 74-year-old may have recently remarried and
want to do something about her dry vaginal canal
Old-old: 85 to 100 years
o Ex: 82-year-old may be concerned that his arthritic
knees are limiting his ability to play a round of
golf
Centenarians: over 100 years
o Ex: 101-year-old may be desperate to find a way to
correct her impaired vision so that she can enjoy
television.
Profile, interests, and health care challenges vary with each subset
Baby Boomers
Individuals born between 1946 to 1964-Post WWII
January 1, 2011, beginning of baby boomers turning 65. Every day 10,000
baby boomers turn age 65.
Diverse group
Better educated-GI bill provided education
Enamored with “high-tech” products
Inventors of “fitness movement”
Informed consumers
Will demand changes in long-term care
Baby Boomer- a big Drug culture. Health issues in elderly people that that
era.
Myths of Aging
Myths of Aging
o “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”
o “Dirty old man”
o Disease and disability are an inevitable part of aging
o Health promotion is wasted on older people
o The elderly do not pull their own weight
Myths of aging lead to:
o Ageism
o Reduced healthcare services
o Segregation of elders from mainstream society
Attitudes and Stereotypes towards Older Adults
• Ageism: Discrimination that often accompanies old age and is based solely
on age. The idea that people cease to the same or become inferior based on
age
Can Cause:
• Reduced health care from providers of care
• Less health education and teaching
• May be regarded as not eligible for certain therapies or programs ex: rehab,
certain types of surgeries
• Treated socially and medically based on myths and stereotypes
Population Growth and Increasing Life Expectancy
• Persons 65+ currently represent more than 12% of the U.S. population
• By 2020, older adults will grow to 17% of the population
• Life expectancy has increased:
– 1930: 59.7 years
– 1965: 70.2 years
– Present: 77.8 years
• Population over 85 years, ~40%
• Centenarians increasing
Indicator 1 - Number of Older Americans
Demographic & Epidemiological Factors
• Decreased in infant mortality rates since turn of the century-past century
– Better NICU services
• “Control” of infectious diseases
– More vaccines being administered now like flu
• Improved sanitation
• Better living conditions
• Behavioral or lifestyle changes
– No more smoking in hospitals
Gender, Marital Status and Living Arrangements
• Older women comprise 58% of the population over age 65, and 70% of the
population over age 85
• Half of women over 65 are widowed
• Majority of men are married
• Most older adults live with spouse or other family member
• Twice the number of women than men live alone in later life
– In past, women would stay home and take care of home, but men goes
out and does straneous labor and more subjected to health risks such
as working in coal mines and in fields. Men were prone to drinking
and smoking due to labor.
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