Gerontology August 29 2012 Population Aging Challenges and Opportunities Objectives Increases in life expectancy 1 What is gerontology 2 3 World wide trends in life expectancy 4 Who are the baby boomers 5 Implications of population aging What is Gerontology Interdisciplinary scientific study of aging and the aging process Relatively new discipline What is Geriatrics Study of the diseases of the elderly Older Adults Young old 65 74 Old old 75 84 Oldest old 85 and older Centenarians 100 years old over The Meaning of Age How old do you feel today Chronological Age calendar age Perceived Age age you think of yourself as You re only as old as you feel 50 is the new 40 Biological Age functioning of vital systems smoking alcohol etc Psychological age functioning of psychological abilities where you are relative to what we would expect Are there limits to the human lifespan How old is the oldest living person Woman 116 Man 115 Increased Life Expectancy Due to Reduction in Acute Diseases o Medical and Public Health Advances Reduction in infant mortality Reduction in female mortality at childbirth Treatment advances in Chronic Disease Life Expectancy The number of years that will probably be lived by the average person born in a Average life expectancy is 78 years 80 years for women 75 years for men given year How long will you live Related to 1 Gender 2 Genetics 3 Lifestyle Crash Course in Demography Population aging term for shifts in the age distribution of the population toward older ages Cohort group of people born in the same year Why do you care Population changes affect families social policy economics well being Change in Age Structure for U S related to Increase in average life expectancy 1 2 Change in immigration patterns 3 Change in fertility patterns across cohorts Ethnic and Racial Variations Elderly population of 2050 Non Hispanic White will decrease to 58 Hispanic American will increase to 18 African Americans will increase to 15 Asian Americans will increase to 9 Entire population much more ethnically diverse in 2050 Gender Variations Increase in female life expectancy The majority of older women are single Single women highest poverty rate among the aged More likely to be institutionalized compared to men What about the Baby Boomers Born in 1946 1964 1 4 of U S population Blamed for nation s problems successes Profound effects on society from childhood through adulthood Higher levels of education than previous cohorts Experienced social change e g Civil Rights movement Sexual Revolution etc Characterized by heterogeneity Leading edge vs trailing edge Changes in work and family implications for population aging Implications of Population Aging What are some of the potential implications of population aging Aging The Environment Structural changes in society 1 Transportation 2 Housing 3 Technology Marketing to the Baby Boomers Financial services health care travel hospitality and retirement housing
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