Silver Book Fact
The share of elderly with impairments in their ability to live independently went down between 1% and 1.5% annually between 1984 and 2004, compared to the historical annual decline in chronic disability of 0.6% between 1910 and 1985.
Cutler, David M. Are the Benefits of Medicine Worth What We Pay for It? 15th Annual Herbert Lourie Memorial Lecture on Health Policy. Center for Policy Research Briefs. 2004; 27. http://ideas.repec.org/p/max/cprpbr/27.html