proportional changes are for the period just prior to the projected increases in the aging “ baby boomer ” population .
( Table 2 ) Note : The increasing number of “ very ” elderly in the state and nationally portends the potential for even greater increased supportive services and financial expenditures .
Elderly with disabilities
Nationally , 18.1 million senior residents ( 52 percent ) have a disability . Of this number , 12.9 million ( 37 percent ) have a severe disability , and 5.5 million ( 15.6 percent ) need assistance with daily living . Senior females were more likely to be disabled ( 56.5 percent ) than senior men ( 45.4 percent ), to a degree , related to the longer life span of females . Among the non-institutionalized population , 14.2 million seniors ( 38 percent ) have a disability . 9
In Pennsylvania , more than one-third of the elderly ( 37.7 percent ) have a disability ( 713 thousand individuals ). The number of elderly with a disability range as high as 21 to 33 thousand in Berks , Bucks , Delaware , Lancaster , Luzerne , Montgomery and Westmoreland counties , and greater than 84 thousand in Allegany County and 97 thousand in Philadelphia . ( Table 1 )
Poverty
In 2009 , 14 percent of the U . S . elderly population and 12 percent of the Pennsylvania elderly population lived in poverty . 11 Note : The Census Bureau reports county level poverty data for senior residents for the ten year decennial census . In 2000 , in the Pennsylvania counties , the proportion of elderly ranged as high as between 10.0 percent and 13.5 percent in 16 counties and almost 17 percent in Philadelphia County . ( Table 1 )
Minority populations
The Census Bureau only reports the minority population proportions at county and age levels for the ten year decennial census . Estimates for the proportion of elderly minority in 2009 for each county were developed by assuming that the proportion of minority elderly in each county was comparable to the reported proportion of minorities in the total county population . Based upon this assumption , in 2009 , the proportion of the elderly minority population ranged as high as approximately 10 percent to 25 percent in 9 counties and 51.5 percent in Philadelphia County . ( Table 1 )
In 2009 , 84 percent of the Pennsylvania population was reported as white , 10.8 percent black , 2.5 percent Asian and 5.1 percent Hispanic ( may be of any race ). These data are for individuals who reported a single race . 12
Health concerns
“… more than 10,000 people per day , or more than four million per year , for the next 19 years fac ( e ) an increased risk of Alzheimer ’ s .” 1
The average life expectancy of a U . S . new born male is 75 years and 80 years for a female . As a consequence of the general health of individuals who have reached the older ages , however , the average life expectance of a sixty-five year
13 , 14
old male and female is 82 years and 85 years , respectively . The fact is that any planning for the services of the elderly must take into consideration the reality of the potential long term needs for this population . For example , the Census Bureau projects that by 2030 there will be more than three million 90 + year olds in the U . S . 15
• One-quarter of non-institutionalized elderly are in fair or poor health .
• Two-thirds of elderly men and more than seventy percent of elderly women have hypertension .
• One-third or more of elderly men and women are obese .
• Almost one-quarter of non-institutionalized elderly have been diagnosed with diabetes .
• Almost ten percent currently smoke cigarettes .
Use of health services :
• More than a quarter of a billion ambulatory care visits are made by the elderly to physician offices , hospitals and outpatient departments .
• There are more than 1.3 million elderly nursing home residents .
• About 58 percent of the elderly reported a dental visit in the past year .
Mortality :
• The leading causes of death of the elderly are heart disease , cancer and stroke . 14
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