90 Is The New 85: 'Oldest Old' Population Is Expanding Rapidly
From 720,000 in the year 1980 to more than 1.9 million in 2010,
the number of Americans who are 90 years of age or older has
nearly tripled, the Census Bureau reports today in its first
comprehensive look at the over-90 population. And according to
the Census Bureau, "over the next four decades, this population
is projected to more than quadruple." The trend has researchers
wondering whether the definition of the "oldest old" —
generally, those 85 and older — should be reconsidered and start
the group at 90 instead. Driven, as you would expect, by
improvements in health care, the trend of course presents
challenges. Census writes that "a nation's oldest-old population
consumes resources disproportionately to its overall population
size, and its growth has a significant impact on societal and
family resources, including pension and retirement income,
health care costs, and intergenerational relationships." Some of
the details in the report: -- "Peo