According to data from a study by the National Insitute on Aging, chronic disability among older Americans has decreased dramatically in the last two decades. As the population ages, the health and function of older Americans is improving. Chronic disability among people 65 and older fell from 26.5 percent in 1982 to 19 percent in 2004/2005

This is good news for the ailing Medicare system as the boomer generation reaches retirement age. In addition to a drop in the rate of chronic disability, the number of Medicare enrollees over 65 who lived in long-term care facilities dropped from 1982 to 2004.

“This continuing decline in disability among older people is one of the most encouraging and important trends in the aging of the American population,” says NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D.

Disability among older Americans continues significant decline

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that medical expenditures provide reasonable value as measured by increased life expectancy. The study was funded by the National Insitute on Aging. Between 1960 and 2000, life expectancy increased by seven years.

“The growing numbers of older Americans is a story that we can be proud of, and medical expenditures have played an increasingly important role in this success,” says Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D., Director of the Behavioral and Social Research Program at the NIA. Further, Suzman points out, “If the study had been able to factor in the improved functioning and quality of life of older people, the value of such medical spending would have looked even better, especially for the older population.”

Study Links Medical Spending to Life Expectancy Gains

Low-income Americans age 55 to 84 are more likely to report functional limitations than those in higher income brackets. According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, older Americans whose income falls below the poverty line are six times as likely to report limits on their physical activity.

The study was conducted by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Toronto.

Reports of functional limitations differed by income in age groups 55 to 64 years, 65 to 74 years and 75 to 84 years. A functional limitation is a condition that limits one or more basic physical activities of daily living (ADLs), such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying.

“We found that a ‘gradient of disability’ exists across the full socioeconomic spectrum, as functional limitations proved inversely related to household income,” says senior author Jack M. Guralnik, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the NIA’s Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry.

Improved understanding of the relationship between socioeconomic status and disability is critical as the U.S. population ages, Guralnik notes.

National Institute on Aging

A study published in the July issue of the Journal of American Medicine states that activity levels in older adults are linked to longevity. Older adults who expend more energy during the day tend to have lower mortality risks. The study was conducted by the National Institute on Aging.

The energy expended was not in specific exercise programs but in performing usual daily tasks; what they call “free-living” energy expenditure, such as climbing stairs or working in a paying job. The research team measured metabolic rates and carbon dioxide production to assess the energy use of the individual during everyday activities.

The results of the study show that keeping active is key to increasing longevity.

National Institute on Aging