Disability Among
Older People: United States and Canada
This new report describes disability
among older people in the United States and Canada. The report is designed to contribute
to the study of differences between the United States and Canada by examining the
prevalence of disability. The intent is to provide information useful for the study of the
epidemiology of disability and the possible impact of differing health care systems.
Data Highlights:
The prevalence of
all disabilities among people aged 55 years and over residing in the community rises
sharply with age, and in a similar manner in both the United States and Canada.
Older women are
more likely to be disabled than older men in both countries.
The prevalence of
disability among people aged 55 years and over is not consistently higher in either the
United States or Canada. The risk of being disabled is sometimes higher in one country and
sometimes higher in the other, depending on the disability.
The prevalence of
many disabilities is higher in the United States than in Canada among people aged 55-64
years. However, among people aged 65-74 years, the prevalence of many disabilities appears
to be higher in Canada.
Differences in the
prevalence of disability between the lowest and the highest income groups are not greater
in either the United States or Canada. Depending on the disability, the ratios of the
lowest to the highest income group is sometimes greater in one country and sometimes
greater in the other.