Rising Demand for Long-Term Services and Supports for Elderly People

TitleRising Demand for Long-Term Services and Supports for Elderly People
Publication TypeReport
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsUnited States Congressional Office
InstitutionWashington, DC
KeywordsHealth Conditions and Status, Healthcare, Methodology, Public Policy
Abstract

By 2050, one-fifth of the total U.S. population will be elderly (that is, 65 or older), up from 12 percent in 2000 and 8 percent in 1950. The number of people age 85 or older will grow the fastest over the next few decades, constituting 4 percent of the population by 2050, or 10 times its share in 1950. That growth in the elderly population will bring a corresponding surge in the number of elderly people with functional and cognitive limitations. Functional limitations are physical problems that limit a person s ability to perform routine daily activities, such as eating, bathing, dressing, paying bills, and preparing meals. Cognitive limitations are losses in mental acuity that may also restrict a person s ability to perform such activities. On average, about one-third of people age 65 or older report functional limitations of one kind or another; among people age 85 or older, about two-thirds report functional limitations. One study estimates that more than two-thirds of 65-year-olds will need assistance to deal with a loss in functioning at some point during their remaining years of life.3 If those rates of prevalence continue, the number of elderly people with functional or cognitive limitations, and thus the need for assistance, will increase sharply in coming decades.

URLhttp://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44363-LTC.pdf
Endnote Keywords

Public administration/Public Policy/Functional limitation/functional impairment/health Services/cost Control/cost Control/Oldest old people

Endnote ID

69044

Citation Key5957