The Demography of Aging Challenges Opportunities What is Gerontology Interdisciplinary scientific study of aging and the aging process relatively new discipline Interdisciplinary means we gather information from a bunch of different areas Geriatrics the study of disease of the elderly How old is old What you view as old depends on how old you are Older Adults Young old age 55 85 Oldest old age 85 and older Centenarians age 100 and older The Meaning of Age How old do you feel today Chronological age calendar age Perceived age the age you think of yourself as The Meaning of Age Biological age functioning of vital systems picture is an example Psychological age functioning of psychological abilities functioning in out social roles Are there limits to the human lifespan 120 is the natural limit There are more older females because women tend to live longer than men How old is the oldest living person About 116 Highest documented age is 116 117 Limits of the Human Life Span Jeanne Calment of France was one of the only two human beings known to have lived to age 120 believed by some scientists to be the limit of the human life span Calment is shown on her 122th birthday in February 1997 Increased Life Expectancy Due to Medical and public health advances Reduction in acute disease Reduction in infant mortality Reduction in female mortality at child birth Treatment advances in chronic disease Medical and lifestyles Life Expectancy The number of years that will probably be lived by the average person born in a given year Average life expectancy is about 78 years old About 80 for women and about 75 for men Related to Gender women live longer than men Genetics look at grandparents and family Lifestyles Life Expectancy World Map US 75 80 years old Africa 50 years old or less Crash Course in Demography Population aging shifts in 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 Big changes in population affect everyone Change from Pyramid to a Rectangle Population Trends in the U S 1900 4 1 of all Americans were 65 2000 Figure grew to 12 8 By 2030 20 of Americans will be over 65 By 2040 The population of those 85 will quadruple in size to nearly 14 000 000 million Change in Age Structure of U S related to Increase in average life expectancy Change in immigration patterns Change in fertility patterns across cohorts 16 Ethnic and Racial Variations Elderly population of 2050 Non Hispanic Whites will decrease to 58 Hispanic Americans will increase to 18 African Americans will increase to 15 Asian Americans will increase to 9 The entire population will be much more ethnically diverse in 2050 Gender Variations Increase in female life expectancy The majority of older women are single Single women have the highest poverty rate among the aged Women are more likely to be institutionalized nursing home compared to men What about the Baby Boomers Born 1946 1964 1 4 of U S population Blamed for nations problems and successes Profound effect on society from childhood to Higher levels of education than previous adult hood cohorts Baby Boom Experienced social change e g Civil Rights movement Sexual Revolution etc Characterized by heterogeneity differences Leading edge vs trailing edge Changes in work and family implications for population growth Advance education for females Females got jobs Higher divorce rates because women no longer had to depend on men since they could now work Source Why Population Aging Matters 21 Aging the Environment Structural changes in society Transportation Consumer patterns and marketing ads are geared Housing Technology more towards older people now Marketing to the Baby Boomers Financial services health care travel hospitality and retirement housing Challenge Changing Family Structure Fewer children fewer care givers Changes in divorce population Childlessness Remember the majority of oldest old are female 23 Challenge Shifts in Work Retirement Increase in the years spent retired Will Baby Boomers remain in the workforce longer They are expected to Increase in retirement age calls for retraining Opportunity Evolving Social Insurance Systems Raising age eligible for Social Security U S ages 62 65 increased to 67 Strain on social programs for older adults Dependency ratio Portion of employed to dependent proportions of population Challenge Growing Burden of Chronic Disease Chronic diseases Heart disease cancer diabetes Alzheimer s disease Age 85 Oldest Old Multiple chronic conditions high disability rates 1 5 of the total population is using 16 1 of Medicare Use most long term care services Predicted to increase in long term care services in the future 26 Source http www globalforumhealth org filesupld monitoring financial flows2 MFF04chap3 pdf 2727 Challenge Growing Burden of Chronic Disease expectancy increases Compression of morbidity decreases as life Expansion of morbidity Increases and life expectancy increases Evidence supports Compression of morbidity Opportunity New Roles for Older Adults Productive Aging Older adults have what everyone else lacks TIME They have more time that they can volunteer and give back to the community The Aging Opportunity Match between older adults and societies needs Summary Medical and technological advances challenges Changing family structure caregiving Shifts in work retirement Evolving social insurance systems New roles for older adults
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