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CDC
Monitoring
Health
of
Older
Americans
The
government's
Center
for
Disease
Control
has
an
on-going
series
of
reports
on
the
health
of
older
Americans.
Your
can
follow
this
link
-
Click
Here
-
to
the
index
of
their
reports.
Some
of
the
highlights
of
these
reports
are
the
following:
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).
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