Silver Book

Silver Book Fact

How People Age 65+ Rate Their Own Health: 2012-2014

“During the period 2012–2014, 78 percent of people age 65 and over rated their health as good, very good, or excellent. The levels of health reported by older men and older women were similar.”

Older Americans 2016: Key indicators of well-being. Washington, DC: Federal Inter-Agency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics; 2016:30. https://agingstats.gov/docs/LatestReport/OA2016.pdf. Accessed December 21, 2016

Reference

Title
Older Americans 2016: Key indicators of well-being
Publication
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics
Publisher
Federal Inter-Agency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics
Publication Date
2016
Pages
30
URL
Read Full Resource

Connected Facts

Aging Nation

Disability Increases with Age

Disability increases with age. In 2014, 42 percent of people age 85 and over reported any disability, compared with 17 percent of people ages 65–74. People age 85 and over also had higher levels of disability than people ages 65–74 in all the individual domains of functioning.

Age - A Major Risk Factor, Today's Older Population
Non-Hispanic Blacks 65+ More Likely to Report Disability

“Non-Hispanic Blacks age 65 and over were more likely to report having any disability than non-Hispanic Whites (26 percent compared with 21 percent).”

Aging Nation

Female life expectancy differences at 65 & 85

At age 65, women can expect to live 2.5 years longer. At age 85, women can expect to live 1.1 years longer.

Life Expectancy

Aging Nation

1999-2014 death rates for all causes of death among 65+

“Between 1999 and 2014, age-adjusted death rates for all causes of death among people age 65 and over declined by 20 percent.”

Age - A Major Risk Factor, Life Expectancy

Related Facts

  • Increase in 90-and-older population by the 2030s
    In the 2030s, the 90-and-older population is projected to experience a  71 percent jump, as opposed to a 10 percent increase for those aged 65–89 years old.  
  • Oldest old population projections between 2010 and 2050
    Between 2010 and 2050, the oldest-old are expected to increase from 15% to 24% of all older Americans.  This will result in an additional 15 million oldest-old.  
  • Common medical conditions in older Americans
    The most common medical condition among older Americans between 2011 and 2013 was diagnosed arthritis, followed by heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.  
  • Older adults’ health expenditures
    More than 12 percent of older adults’ expenditures are spent on health.  
  • Rise in life expectancy by 2050
    Government forecasts may have underestimated life expectancy by inadvertently leaving out the effect of advances in biomedical techology that delay the onset of disease or slow the aging process. Results…