11 Facts about the Elderly

1. 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.
2. 4 in 5 (80%) of elderly people will battle at least one chronic, limiting condition or illness, such as heart disorders, arthritis, or osteoporosis.
3. Senior citizens feel vulnerable to crime. 55% reported to the University of Minnesota that they were afraid to walk alone at night.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 99% of people over 65 years old have health insurance, with 96% having government-sponsored Medicare.
7. According to a government study, the average American life expectancy is around 77 years old.
8. People over 75 years old visit the doctor 3 times more often than people 22-44 years old.
9. Elderly people occupy over 1/3 of all federally subsidized housing.
10. 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.
11. 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