Trends and Issues in Aging
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Transcript of Trends and Issues in Aging
Trends and Issuesin Aging
Megan Shaw
CSULB
October 14, 2010REC 573
What is a TREND?
An inclination A general movement A line of development
What are some trends in aging?
Rapid growth of 65+ Baby Boomers (turning 65 next year)
High concentration of older adults in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina due to aging in place and migration
More Trends in Aging
Declining retirement age (may be reversing)
Even if reversing, increase in years spent in retirement
Increases in life expectancy
Trends Continued
Number of Alzheimer’s cases will increase, but incidence may decrease due to scientific advances
Larger proportion of mild Alzheimer’s due to drugs that slow the progression
Increase in chronic conditions Increase in obesity
Trends Continued
Sex ratio skewed towards women in later years
Greater ethnic diversity Increasing education level Increasing economic disparities among
ethnicities Married older adults declining Compression of morbidity
Activity
Write down what age you expect to retire at or what age you would like to retire at
Now..
Write down your life expectancy
Expectation of Life:United States, 2006
Men Women
75.1 80.2
MATH!
Subtract your age of retirement from your life expectancy
EX: 80.2 – 62 = 18.2 (Life Expectancy)-(Retirement Age)
•Notice that there is a considerable amount of time between your retirement age and the end of life
•What does this mean for older adults?
Evolution of Life Expectancy at Age 65 in the U.S. by sex: 1950-2003
Increasing Time Between Retirement and Death
Trend: Compression of Morbidity
Life expectancy has risen, but how much of life will be lived free of severe disability?
James Fries: Compression of Morbidity– The onset of chronic, irreversible illness will be delayed toward the end
of life so morbidity (severe disability) is compressed into a shorter period before death
1980s & 1990s: Started the DECLINE in people 65+ that had impaired ADLs and IADLs
Rectangularization
The Compression of Morbidity theory shows rectangular disability curves, with a longer period without disability and then a steeper decline
Aiming for Compression
Many of the studies done on the COM theory use exercise as a tool for testing the theory
The way to achieve a COM is by preventing disease and disability: exercise is an obvious variable that would prevent or delay morbidity
For example, Fries did a study where he compared a physically active group against a control group in the community
– GOAL: find out if running deferred the onset of disability, or caused injury to joints and other structures that resulted in accelerated disability
Progression of Disability
Disability Level by Age
Fries
The study confirmed that physical activity, in this case running, deferred the onset of disability
Therefore, this supported the COM theory
Limitations
Every theory has its limitations The Compression of Morbidity theory is
limited by social class and education level Several studies done on the COM theory
have shown that there is a “rectangularization” of the disability curve, however, this shift is not as evident in the lower socioeconomic population
What does COM mean for older adults?
If people are living longer and they are free from severe disability until the very end of life, they will be active and needing something to do between retirement and death
Retirement age has been decreasing, as previously mentioned
Even if this trend is reversing, time between age of retirement and death will remain at least constant because life expectancy is increasing
More Time for Leisure
As we saw during the activity, after retirement the Compression of Morbidity theory shows that there will be a substantial period of time before morbidity occurs
This leaves time for leisure!
Conclusion
The trend of morbidity being pushed further and further back into the later years of life has profound significance for older adults, and leisure is just one part of that
Leisure time can be meaningful for older adults because they are free to do things that they find pleasure in without the constraints of a daily job and family to raise
The Compression of Morbidity theory provides a framework for looking at later life with the expectation that much time will be spent with the ability to continue to do what we choose, which is one of the best parts of getting older
References
Cai, L., & Lubitz, J. (2007). Was there compression of disability for older Americans from 1992 to 2003? Demography, 44(3), 479-495.
Fries, J. F. (1996). Physical activity, the compression of morbidity, and the health of the elderly. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 89, 64-68.
Kinsella, Kevn, & He, W. (2009). U.S. Census Bureau, international population reports, P95/09-1. An Aging World: 2008. U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, DC.
Parker, M. G, & Thorslund, M. (2007). Health trends in the elderly population: Getting better and getting worse. The Gerontologist, 47(2), 150-158.
Wilmoth, J., & Longino Jr., C. (2006). Demographic trends that will shape U.S. policy in the twenty-first century. Research on Aging, 28(3), 269-288.