In a recent lecture series on the biological, psychological,
and social aspects of ageing, a questionnaire was distributed to the attendants
which tests some of the common conceptions that people have. Here are some
of the questions - see how you score (T = true and F = false). The answers
are at the end.
1 - Over 20% of the population of the United States
is 65 years of age or older. (T) (F)
2 - Approximately 10% of the elderly live in long-stay
institutions such as nursing homes or homes for the aged. (T) (F)
3 - For all deaths attributed to cancer, breast cancer
is the leading cause of death for older women. (T) (F)
4 - The fastest growing segment of the older population
is those 85 years and older. (T) (F)
5 - If a person lives long enough, one will experience
cognitive impairment. (T) (F)
6 - In general, older people tend to be more alike
than different. (T) (F)
7 - For persons 65 and older, the prevalence of moderate
or severe memory impairment is greater among men than women. (T) (F)
8 - About 75% of the elderly report their health to
be good to excellent. (T) (F)
9 - The proportion of widowed among the aged is decreasing.
(T) (F)
10 - The majority of older adults will at some point
end up in a nursing home. (T) (F)
11 - About 25% of today's elderly would be in poverty
were it not for Social Security. (T) (F)
12 - Chronological age is the most important determinant
of age. (T) (F)
13 - The majority of older people live alone. (T) (F)
14 - Elderly men die of heart disease and stroke while
elderly women die of cancer. (T) (F)
15 - In 1973, Social Security was 20% of the national
budget. Today it is 35%. (T) (F)
16 - Functional status in the elderly may improve even
in the oldest-old. (T) (F)
17 - Deaths from heart disease and stroke are declining
in the elderly. (T) (F)
18 - The body maintains its ability to build muscle
mass throughout the life span. (T) (F)
19 - The life-expectancy of persons who survive to
age 85 today is about 7 years for women and 6 years for men. (T) (F)
---- Answers ----
1 - False: 13% of the U.S. population is 65 or older, and this percentage
is expected to reach 20% by the year 2040.
2 - False - Only 5% of persons aged 65 and over are residents
of any long-stay institution at any one time.
3 - False - Heart disease is the leading cause of death in older
women. Further, in older women, lung cancer exceeds breast cancer by over
twice the mortality.
4 - True. In the year 2000, about 2% (4 million) of the U.S. population
is age 85 and older. By 2050, the percentage will reach 5% (19 million).
5 - True. Cognitive impairment is caused by ageing; however, even
among those who live to be 80 or older, only about 25% develop Alzheimer's
disease or other forms of dementia.
6 - False. The older adult population is the most diverse or heterogeneous
age group.
7 - True. Men show a slightly higher incidence of memory impairment.
See the table below.
| Age |
Women |
Men |
| 65-69 |
4% |
5% |
| 70-74 |
7% |
10% |
| 75-79 |
12% |
16% |
| 80-84 |
19% |
23% |
| 85- + |
35% |
37% |
8 - True. Approximately 75% of older Americans (both men and women)
report their health as excellent, very good, or good.
9 - True. The proportion of widowed is gradually decreasing among
the aged due to decreasing mortality rates.
10 - False. For persons 65 and older, most (95% do not reside
in a nursing facility. For persons 85 and older, 76% are non-institutionalized.
11 - False. Approximately 12% of the elderly are now in poverty
even with Social Security. The latter keeps another 42% out of poverty;
and 53% would be out of poverty without Social Security.
12 - False. Chronological age is simply the number of years from
one's birth. More important is functional age - how well one is able to
function in their environment.
13 - False. Two thirds of non-institutionalized persons over 65
live in a family setting. Only 28% live alone.
14 - False. 500,000 American women die each year of disease of
the heart and blood vessels compared with 189,000 who die of all cancers
combined.
15 - False. Social Security remains a large, but fairly stable,
portion of the budget of the U.S. government at 23%
16 - True. When participating in exercise programs, older women
and men (even those in nursing homes) show substantial gains in muscle strength
and aerobic capacity.
17 - True. Between 1980 and 1997, age adjusted death rates for
heart and stroke declined by about one-third.
18 - True. The body's capacity to build muscle continues throughout
the life course. Weight training for the elderly show that muscles enlarge
and become stronger. Individual muscle fibers enlarge and more protein appears
(two key measures of improved muscle quality).
19 - True. Women and men who survive to age 85 can expect to live
to ages 92 and 91, respectively.
Links & Refererences
The National Institute on Aging
(NIA) is one of the 25 institutes and centers of the National Institutes
of Health, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging
and to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted
authority to form the National Institute on Aging to provide leadership
in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other
programs relevant to aging and older people. Subsequent amendments to this
legislation designated the NIA as the primary federal agency on Alzheimer's
disease research.
The National Academy on an
Aging Society is a Washington-based non-partisan, policy institute
that fosters critical thinking about the implications of an aging society.
The Academy studies the impact of demographic changes on public and private
institutions and families of all ages. |