Young and old Americans, it turns out, have very similar worries about aging, according to a fascinating new survey unveiled at the American Society on Aging conference I’m attending in Chicago.
The West Health Institute/NORC Survey on Aging in America polled 3,026 adults age 30 and older to see how people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70+ perceive aging. The researchers, who presented their results in a panel, particularly wanted to ask thirtysomethings and fortysomethings because “they’re involved in the aging experience through family members and as caregivers and because they’ll be the seniors of the future,” said Dr. Zia Agha, chief medical officer and executive vice president of clinical research at the West Health Institute (a nonprofit dedicated to helping older Americans age in place).
Worries About Aging Loom Large
The upshot of the survey: “Worries about aging loom large for Americans over 30 for the country and for themselves,” said Agha. “About 70 percent think the country is ‘a little or not at all prepared’ to address the needs of the fast-growing senior population.”
And, the survey found, 59 percent believe the efforts under way to address the health care and social support needs of older Americans are “not going in the right direction.” Agha’s take: “It’s very clear that today’s health care is not addressing all the needs” of older Americans. “We need more patient-centeredand senior-centered models of care,” he added.
About 70 percent think the country is ‘a little or not at all prepared’ to address the needs of the fast-growing senior population.
— Dr. Zia Agha, chief medical officer, West Health Institute
Common Fears Across the Generations
Perhaps the most striking survey finding is how much the generations agree on what they worry may happen to them as they age. Fear of losing independence as they grow older is a key concern across the ages — whether that could mean losing memory, being in poor health or not having financial security. Each of these is a worry of roughly 71 percent of respondents.
For those in their 30s, 40s and 50s, the top aging worry (by a hair) is financial security. Losing memory is the biggest aging concern, just barely, among those in their 60s and 70s. “Patients have been educated on how to prevent diabetes. They don’t know what to do to protect themselves from dementia,” said Agha. “There isn’t much we can tell them.” Click here to continue reading.
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