The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center
for Health Statistics (NCHS) has developed a new series of reports to focus
attention on some of the most important health issues facing today's
generation of older Americans. Aging Trends, produced with support from
the National Institute on Aging, uses data from a variety of sources to
help monitor the health and well-being of the older population. The first
four reports in this new series include Trends in Causes of Death Among
the Elderly, Trends in Vision and Hearing Among Older Americans, The Oral
Health of Older Americans, and The Changing Profile of Nursing Home
Residents: 1985-1997. Each report identifies opportunities for prevention
and further research, describes those most at risk, and points to areas
where increased use of existing services and aids would be beneficial.
Highlights of the first
issues:
DEATH AMONG THE
ELDERLY
Since
1990 life expectancy in the United States has dramatically increased. At
the turn of the century, less than half of all Americans lived past age
65; today over 80 percent of Americans can expect to do so.
The
leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, and stroke, accounting
for 60 percent of all deaths. Other chronic diseases also rank high as
causes of death, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes,
and pneumonia and influenza.
Biomedical
breakthroughs, public health initiatives, and social changes may reduce
mortality further and increase the length of life.
VISION AND HEARING
About
one-fifth of people aged 70 years and over have visual impairments. Visual
impairment is an important cause of activity limitation and disability and
puts older Americans at greater risk of falls and other injuries.
The
four main causes of visual impairment are cataracts, glaucoma, age-related
macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. There is effective
treatment for cataracts and both glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy can be
treated and their progression slowed with early detection. Treatment is
not available for most cases of macular degeneration, and by the year
2030, it is expected that macular degeneration will cause more blindness
in the U.S. than glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy combined.
Glaucoma
is twice as common among the black than the white older population and has
doubled for African Americans since the 1980s. Age-related macular
degeneration is more common in women than in men and in the white than the
black older population. All visual impairments increase with age.
A
third of older Americans are hearing impaired. About one-quarter of those
70-74 years of age have hearing problems but this increased to half by age
85. Older men at all ages were more likely than women to be hearing
impaired.
Older
people were less likely to have their hearing tested and use hearing aids
than they were to have their eyes checked and wear glasses.
ORAL HEALTH
More
older people are keeping their natural teeth than ever before. However,
among those aged 65 years and over there are sharp differences by income, with those
in poverty twice as likely as those with higher incomes to have lost all
their teeth.
Many
older Americans take medications for chronic conditions that have side
effects detrimental to their oral health. These include antihistamines,
diuretics, and antidepressants.
One-third
of adults aged 65 years and over have untreated dental caries; slightly over 40
percent have periodontal disease.
Only
22 percent of older persons are covered by dental insurance; most elderly
dental expenses are paid out-of-pocket.
The Oral Health
of Older Americans. Aging
Trends No. 3. 8 pp. View/download PDF
324 KB
NURSING HOMES
Americans
are entering nursing homes at a later age than in the past. Average age on
admission is up from 81 years in 1985 to almost 83 years in 1997.
In
1997 nursing home residents required more assistance with activities such
as bathing, dressing, and eating than a decade ago.
Nursing
home stays were shorter in 1997 than a decade earlier, perhaps reflecting
more use of home health care or the use of nursing homes for short-term
rehabilitation.
At
current rates there would be approximately 3 million residents in nursing
homes in the year 2030, roughly double the number now. Even with the use of
alternatives such as home health care, assisted living, and other
arrangements, America will need to consider not only more nursing home
capacity but also community and work changes that support the family
caregiver.
This series of reports
is available to view or download without charge from the interactive data
warehouse, "Trends
in Health and Aging." This Web site contains State and
national trend data on risk factors, health status, health care
utilization, mortality, and costs of care for the U.S. population 45 years
of age and over. Data on the site come from the range of CDC/NCHS data
systems, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Health Care
Financing Administration, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Additional State,
regional, and national data on aging are available in the Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report (Surveillance
for Selected Public Health Indicators Affecting Older Adults --- United
States. 1999; 48 [8]: 1-156).
For more information,
contact the CDC/NCHS Public Affairs Office at (301) 458-4800.
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