More and More Seniors are Celebrating their 100th Birthday


With better nutrition and healthcare, more and more seniors are living well into their nineties and beyond.  A recent study reports that the number of Americans age 65 or older increased tenfold during the last century and today’s seniors are not only living longer but more comfortably and in better health.  In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there were 72,197 Americans aged 100 or older, which is up more than 44 percent from 2000, when there were only 50,281 centenarians.  

By 2050, it is estimated that 4 percent of the population will be 85 years or older, which is ten times the amount of people alive at that age in 1950.  Furthermore, researchers say that on average, one in twenty women today who are age forty will live to celebrate their 100th birthday (one in ten girls born today will live past 100).  For men, the number is one in forty who are age forty today that can expect to live to 100 (one in twenty boys born today will live past 100).   

Experts also report that approximately one-half of seniors will pay out-of-pocket for long-term care services and support (LTSS).  Right now $300 billion a year is spent on LTSS and the money comes from the individuals themselves, private insurance, and government programs.  To provide the care needed for the elderly and those with disabilities, the number of caregivers has increased by almost 300,000 from 2007 to 2012 to total 911,311. 

Harvard researchers found that one of the top reasons for healthier seniors is “improved medical treatment, especially better cardiovascular health and vision care.”  Commonly prescribed drugs such as statins and other heart medications have reduced disability from heart disease and cataract surgery has helped to improved seniors’ eyesight.   

Of course when seniors do require a little help to safely grow old, assisted living provides the level of care needed while still allowing the person to retain their independence.  Please contact MorningStar at Jordan Creek for more information about West Des Moines newest senior living community.   

MorningStar at Jordan Creek proudly provides the very best in senior living with our unique mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.”  With a foundation built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve, we create a true home for residents amid a beautiful setting.  Please schedule a tour to discover the newest community in the West Des Moines area. 

Sources:

smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/there-are-more-americans-over-age-100-now-and-they-are-living-longer-180957914/

gerontology.usc.edu/resources/infographics/americans-are-living-longer/

/money/4369180/retirement-living-longer-better/

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