March 28, 2008
Elder people are living longer and are better off financially and physically than ever, according to a new federal report released Thursday.
But the increased life expectancy, a decrease in poverty and improved overall health are not shared equally across racial, ethnic and income groups, researchers said. And in the past few years, more than a dozen countries have surpassed the United States in life expectancy gain, a trend that experts cannot yet explain.
Also troubling is a survey showing that nearly 40 percent of people 75 and over have difficulty understanding basic information needed to make health care decisions, such as following directions for taking prescription medication and keeping doctor appointments.
"This report comes at a critical time," Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics, said in a statement issued with the report. "As the baby boomers age and America's older population grows larger and more diverse, community leaders, policymakers and researchers have an even greater need for reliable data to understand where older Americans stand today and what they may face tomorrow."
Called "Older Americans 2008, Key Indicators of Well-Being," the report provides the most detailed look at the nation's increasing older population since the last one four years ago. An estimated 37 million people in the country are 65 and older, up from 35 million in 2000. But the figure is expected to reach 71.5 million in 2030 as the baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, age.
Fifteen federal agencies, from the Census Bureau to the Environmental Protection Agency, helped collect and analyze the information.
The report concluded that life expectancy at birth reached 77.8 years, up from 77 in 2000. Women have a life expectancy of 80.4 years at birth, compared with 75.2 years for men.
People are also living longer once they reach old age -- an average of 18.7 years for people who live to 65, up from 16.5 years in 1980.
Meanwhile, the percentage of older people living in poverty has declined to 9 percent, compared with 35 percent in 1959. Median household income for people 65 and over reached $27,798, compared with a $19,086 in 1974 when taking inflation into account.
But whites have a longer life expectancy than blacks. And there were dramatic race-based income disparities as well, with the median net worth of households headed by whites 65 and over six times higher than in older black households, the report concluded.
The U.S. life expectancy gains also lagged significantly behind other countries, some of which have caught up with and surpassed Americans' in the last few years. The difference is most pronounced among women.
Japanese women have a life expectancy of 23 years after reaching age 65, for example, compared with 19.8 years for American women.
France, Sweden, Australia and Switzerland have also shown more significant gains.
Richard Suzman, director of the National Institutes of Health's behavioral and social research program, said several theories have been advanced for the differences, but nothing has been settled.
"It's something of a mystery, but it is important," Suzman said. "It might be something about daily life that, in this country isn't good for one's health -- a lack of social integration, high levels of stress."
Suzman said that experts have requested that a special scientific panel be appointed to study the issue.
Also alarming was a finding termed "health literacy," or how well people of different ages understand basic health information. People in older age groups struggled far more than those in younger age groups, with 39 percent of those age 75 and over having a "health literacy level" of "below basic," compared with 23 percent for people ages 65 to 74. Below basic means being able to circle the date of a medical appointment.
The finding raises questions about the ability of an aging population to make complex health care choices brought on by the federal government's efforts to control costs.
"It was shocking to see the below-basic health literacy," said Kristen Robinson, staff director for the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, which compiled the report. "It is a very important issue for older people."
The report was issued at a national conference on aging here attended by about 3,500 people from across the country.
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