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More than eight out of 10 Americans over the age of 65 are now able to take care of themselves in routine activities of daily living, an 8.8% increase since 1982, a new study shows.

"The likelihood of the elderly being vigorous is higher now than ever before," said Kenneth G. Manton, a Duke University researcher and co-author of a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "The active life expectancy is increasing as well as life expectancy itself."

Manton said that improved medical care, diet, exercise and public health advances made in the last decades have all contributed to a more vigorous and healthy old age. He said older Americans now are better educated, tend to take better care of themselves than ever before, and are taking advantage of new medical knowledge about how to stay healthy.

"The accelerating decline in disability is dramatic and important news," said Richard M. Suzman of the National Institute of Aging. "It is a promising sign for the future as the older population grows significantly, offering further evidence that we may be able to influence how we age."

The study analyzed data on the elderly, chronically disabled from 1982 to 1999 and found a steady decline. In 1982, about 26.2% of older Americans were disabled. In 1999, the percentage had dropped to 19.7, about two out of every 10 people over age 65.

Disability is defined in the study as impairments for three months or more in instrumental activities of daily living, IADL, or in activities of daily living, ADL.

IADLs include such things as cooking, cleaning and shopping, and ADLs involve self-care activities, such as bathing, dressing and eating.

Improvements in both IADL and ADL rates are reflected in a declining population in America's nursing homes, said Manton. In 1982, 6.2% of the nation's elderly were in nursing homes, while in 1999 the percentage had dropped to 3.4%.

A conservative estimate is that a nursing home stay cost $47,200 per year in 1999, the study says. The declining rate of nursing home usage from 1982 to 1999 reduced the number who would have been in such institutions by some 400,000 and produced a national savings of about $18.7 billion, the study found.

The reduction in the rate of elderly disability saved the Medicare fund about $3.7 billion in 1999 alone, said the study, and could extend the solvency of that fund well past the middle of this century,

In 1999, the study added a new category — those in assisted living facilities, which are intermediate care facilities that permit independent living. The study found that about 2.3% of older Americans now live in assisted living facilities, with more than half of such residents reporting no disabilities of any type. Such facilities provide some help, such as meals and home maintenance, while giving independence to the residents.

Chronically disabled older Americas totaled 7.1 million in 1982, the study found. By 1999, the actual number of disabled had declined to 7 million, even though the elderly population in the U.S. went up more than 32%. If the 1982 rate had continued, the number of disabled would have reached about 9.3 million, the study found.

Manton credited a change in attitude toward medical science as a factor in the more vigorous older age. He said people now are more apt to take measures to stay healthy than in the past.

As an example, Manton said the use of hormone replacement therapy has increased steadily since 1982, and more than 10 million women now taking the therapy. This treatment substantially reduces the incidence of osteoporosis, a brittle bone disease that is a major cause of disability.

He said advances in heart disease prevention and care are helping Americans remain healthy longer. Manton said the elderly now are more likely to treat high cholesterol, have bypass or angioplasty procedures, or to control high blood pressure, all important ways to delay disability from heart disease.