Disability Among Older Americans Continues Significant Decline

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Disability Among Older Americans Continues Significant Decline

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061201180523.htm

Chronic disability among older Americans has dropped dramatically,

and the rate of decline has accelerated during the past two decades,

according to a new analysis of data from the National Long-Term Care

Survey (NLTCS). The study, published in this week's Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences, found that the prevalence of

chronic disability among people 65 and older fell from 26.5 percent

in 1982 to 19 percent in 2004/2005. The findings suggest that older

Americans' health and function continue to improve at a critical

time in the aging of the population.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a

component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A caregiving

component of the survey was supported by the Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. All are part of the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services. G. Manton, Ph.D.,

and colleagues at Duke University conducted the research.

In addition to a drop in the percentage of older Americans reporting

disability, the analysis found that the average annual rate of the

decline has accelerated. The decline in disability averaged 1.52

percent annually over the 22-year time span, but the rate of change

shifted gradually from 0.6 percent in 1984 to 2.2 percent in

2004/2005.

" This continuing decline in disability among older people is one of

the most encouraging and important trends in the aging of the

American population, " says NIA Director J. Hodes, M.D.

The report is an eagerly anticipated update of the last assessment

of NLTCS data in 2001. " The challenge now is to see how this trend

can be maintained and accelerated especially in the face of

increasing obesity, " says Suzman, Ph.D., director of NIA's

Behavioral and Social Research Program. " Doing so over the next

several decades will significantly lessen the societal impact of the

aging of the baby-boom generation. "

The analysis also showed that from 1982 to 2004/2005:

Chronic disability rates decreased among those over 65 with both

severe and less severe impairments, with the greatest improvements

seen among the most severely impaired. The researchers note that

environmental modifications, assistive technologies and biomedical

advances may be factors in these declines.

The proportion of people without disabilities increased the most in

the oldest age group, rising by 32.6 percent among those 85 years

and older.

The percentage of Medicare enrollees age 65 and older who lived in

long-term care institutions such as nursing homes dropped

dramatically from 7.5 percent to 4.0 percent. The emergence of

assisted-living options, changes in Medicare reimbursement policies

and improved rehabilitation services may have fueled this decrease

in institutionalization.

If they continue as anticipated, the downward trends in chronic

disability rates among older adults could help bolster the Medicare

program's fiscal health, the researchers suggest.

Funded through a cooperative agreement between the NIA and Duke

University, the NLTCS is a periodic federal government survey of

approximately 20,000 Medicare enrollees.