Older Americans are living longer and better than ever before, according to a new report from the federal government on the status of the nation’s older population.
The recently issued report, which includes a fair amount of data on housing, is the first in a series from the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, a consortium of U.S. government agencies working together to improve the quality and usefulness of data on older Americans.
The government thought it would be helpful to get an overall picture of how older Americans are doing. The report, “Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being,” tracks trends as we look for ways to address the aging boom.
Boom is an understatement. The number of Americans 65 or older has increased ten-fold since 1900, to an estimated 35 million people, or 13 percent of the population. By 2030, 20 percent of Americans, about 70 million, will have passed their 65th birthday. The population age 85 and above is the fastest growing segment of the older population. These people tend to be in poorer health and require more service than people younger than 85.
Americans born at the beginning of the 21st Century are expected to live almost 30 years longer than those born around 1900. In 1997, a newborn baby girl could expect to live 79 years and a boy, 74 years, compared to 51 years for a girl and 48 years for a boy born in 1900.
Here are findings on housing:
Location: The proportion of population age 65 and older varies among the states and is affected by the state mortality rate and the number of seniors migrating there.
In 2000, the states with the highest proportions of people at least 65 years old (more than 15 percent of the total population) are Florida, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Iowa and North Dakota.
The states with the fewest elderly were Alaska, Utah and Georgia.
Illinois’ elderly population ranked between 10 and 12.9 percent of its total population.
Affordability: Most older people live in adequate, affordable housing, but some need to allocate a large proportion of their spending to housing.
Between 1987 and 1998, the percent of expenditures devoted to housing rose slightly among households headed by older Americans in all but the middle-income category, which remained the same.
In 1998, households with the lowest level of income spent an average of $4,686 on housing while households with the highest level of income spent $10,119.
The burden of housing costs relative to all expenditures declines as income increases. Among households headed by people age 65 or older, those with incomes in the bottom fifth of the income distribution in 1998 allocated an average of 36 percent of all spending to basic housing. That proportion fell to 29 percent for those in the middle-income category, and to 26 percent for those in the top fifth of income.
Living arrangements: Living arrangements are closely linked to income, health status and the availability of caregivers. Older people who live alone are more likely to be poor than older persons who live with their spouses.
In 1998, 73 percent of older men lived with their spouses; 7 percent with other relatives; 3 percent lived with non-relatives; and 17 percent lived alone.
Older women were more likely to live alone. In 1998, older women were as likely to live with a spouse as they were to live alone–41 percent each. About 17 percent of older women lived with other relatives and 2 percent with non-relatives. (Figures are rounded.)
Living arrangements among older women vary by race and ethnicity.
In 1998, about 41 percent of older white and older black women lived alone, compared with 27 percent of older Hispanic women and 21 percent of older Asian women.
Poverty rates are higher for older women who live alone than they are for older women who live with a spouse. In 1998, about 19 percent of white older women who lived alone were in poverty and about half of older black and Hispanic women who lived alone were poor.
Marital status affects living arrangements. In 1998, 79 percent of men age 65 to 74 were married, compared with 55 percent of women in the same age group. Among people age 85 or older, about 50 percent of men were married compared with 13 percent of women.
Care away from home: Fewer people live in nursing homes. The people who do are older and more frail than previously.
In 1997, only 11 people per 1,000 age 65 to 74 resided in nursing homes, compared with 46 per 1,000 ages 75 to 84 and 192 per 1,000 age 85 or older. About half of nursing home residents who were 65 or older in 1997 were at least 85.
The total rate of nursing home residency among the older population declined between 1985 and 1997. In 1985, the nursing home residency rate was 54 people per 1,000 age 65 and older. By 1997, this rate declined to 45 per 1,000. For people age 65 to 74, rates fell 14 percent; for ages 75 to 84, by 21 percent; and for over 85, by 13 percent.
In 1997, three-quarters of nursing home residents were women.
Over the last decade the percentage of nursing home residents with limitations on functioning, such as walking, increased to 36 percent from 33 percent.
Assisted-living facilities provide an alternative to nursing homes with about 11,472 facilities nationwide and 558,400 residents. Twenty-four percent of residents receive assistance with three or more activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing. About one-third of residents had moderate to severe cognitive impairment.
Home care:
The majority of older people with disabilities live in the community and receive assistance from spouses, adult children and other family members. Most of the care is informal and unpaid.
The use of informal care is declining, to 64 percent in 1994 from 74 percent in 1982. The percentage of older people who received informal and formal care rose to 28 percent from 21 percent.
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Jane Adler is a Chicago-area freelance writer. If you have questions or information regarding housing for senior citizens, write to Senior Housing c/o Chicago Tribune Real Estate Section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Or e-mail adler@corecomm.net
