- Only 5% of people over 65 years old are in nursing homes. Elderly men are likely to live with a spouse while elderly women are more likely to live alone.
- 4 in 5 (80%) of elderly people will battle at least one chronic, limiting condition or illness, such as heart disorders, arthritis, or osteoporosis.
- Senior citizens feel vulnerable to crime. 55% reported to the University of Minnesota that they were afraid to walk alone at night.
- People over 75 years old are just as likely to be in a car wreck as drivers 16 to 25 years old, but the elderly are more suceptible to injury or death in such accidents.
- The ratio of women to men over 65 years old is 100 to 69. The ratio of women to men over 85 years old is 100 to 39.
- 99% of people over 65 years old have health insurance, with 96% having government-sponsored Medicare.
- According to a government study, the average American life expectancy is around 77 years old.
- People over 75 years old visit the doctor 3 times more often than people 22-44 years old.
- Elderly people occupy over 1/3 of all federally subsidized housing.
- An estimated 1 in 10 senior citizens are victims of elder abuse, the intentional acts by a caregiver that leads to physical, psychological, or emotional harm.
- According to a Census Bureau report, 16.1% of Americans over 65 years old are living in poverty.
Sources:
University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center
Kansas Highway Patrol
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Administration on Aging
