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Golden Inspirations |
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"You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it."
- Charles Bixton
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Home  Featured Columnists Dr. Michael Brickey, Ph.D. Anti Aging Psychology The Report Card for Seniors
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The Report Card for Seniors
The news emphasizes what's wrong and it is easy to get the impression that seniors' health and well being are getting worse. Not so. The National Institute on Aging released its study, 65+ in the United States: 2005. The study found that for Americans over 65:
~Disability rates dropped from 26.2% in 1982 to 19.7% in 1999 despite the group including a higher proportion of seniors over 80. (Note that a chronic health condition, e.g., arthritis is not considered a disability unless it causes functional limitations in activities of daily living.)
~Poverty rates dropped from 35% in 1959 to 10% in 2003 (much of the improvement is due to Social Security).
~Between 1950 and 2003 high school graduate rates rose from 17% to 67% and college graduate rates rose from 3.4% in 1950 to 17.4%. (Education enhances adaptability and is correlated with better health.)
~Even at ages 85 and older, only 18.1% lived in nursing homes.
~Death rates from heart disease declined dramatically.
~Cigarette smoking rates declined.
With improving health and a greater emphasis on quality of life, the World Health Organization has developed a new statistic-Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE), i.e., how many years you can expect to be healthy. In the US the HALE for men is 67.2 years and for women 71.3 years.
Yes, obesity rates are increasing. On the whole, however, the data suggest a healthier, more resourceful senior population, and that the trends are likely to continue. If you would like to see or download the free 254 page study, it is at:
www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p23-209.pdf
To quote the study's Director, "The very current portrait presented here shows how much has changed and where trends may be headed in the future."
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Dr. Michael Brickey, The Anti-Aging Psychologist, teaches people to think, feel, look and be more youthful. His is an inspiring keynote speaker and the Oprah-featured author of Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. Visit www.NotAging.com for a free report on secrets for being more youthful and a free newsletter with practical anti-aging tips.
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