In 2003, there were almost 36 million people age 65 and over living in the United States, accounting for just over 12 percent of the total population. Most of these older Americans reported better health, greater wealth, and higher levels of education than older people in the past. However, some groups of older Americans are disproportionately disadvantaged including those with limited education, women, and minorities. These findings are presented in Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being, the second comprehensive analysis of the lives of older Americans compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum).
The Forum, established in 1986, is a consortium of 12 Federal departments and agencies that collect or use national data on older Americans, including population trends, health status, economic prosperity, and use of health care services. The goal of the Forum is to improve the quality and usefulness of data on aging.
"Older Americans 2004 provides a comprehensive picture of one of the fastest growing segments of our society," says Katherine K. Wallman, Chief Statistician, U.S. Office of Management and Budget. "The report is an invaluable resource that provides a wealth of data from diverse sources across the Federal Government."
Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being, an update of the Forum's 2000 report, comprises 37 key indicators concerning lives of older Americans and their families. The indicators are divided into five subject areas: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. The data are arrayed in charts and tables with accompanying narrative.
Highlights include:
Population
Economics
Health Status
Health Risks and Behaviors
Health Care
Contact: Jeannine Mjoseth
mjosethj@nia.nih.gov
301-496-1752
Additional list of media contacts below.
The 12 agencies and departments that comprise the Forum are the Administration on Aging, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Social Security Administration.
The report is available after embargo at http://www.agingstats.gov . Single printed copies of Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being can be obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics by calling 301-458-4636 or by sending an e-mail to nchsquery@cdc.gov . For multiple print copies, contact Forum Staff Director Kristen Robinson at 301-458-4460 or send an e-mail request to kgr4@cdc.gov .
News media may view the report prior to the embargo date on a special web site sponsored by the Forum. Please call media contacts to obtain more information about access to that website or to get a printed copy of the embargoed report.
Additional Media Contacts:
Administration on Aging
Principal Member: Josefina G. Carbonell
Deputy/Alternate: Frank Burns
Working Group: Saadia Greenberg Media Contact: Carol Crecy, 202-401-4541
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Principal Member: Steven Cohen
Working Group: D.E.B. Potter
Media Contact: Karen Migdail, 301-427-1855
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Principal Member: Thomas Nardone
Working Group: Ryan Helwig
Media Contact: Gary Steinberg, 202-691-5902
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Principal Member: Stuart Guterman
Working Group: Gerald Riley
Media Contact: Peter Ashkenaz, 202-690-6149.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Principal Member: Stephen Meskin
Working Group: Robert Klein, Donald Stockford
Media Contact: Karen E. Fedele, 202-273-4898
Environmental Protection Agency
Principal Member: N. Phillip Ross
Working Group: Kathy Sykes
Media Contact: John Millett, 202-564-7842.
National Center for Health Statistics
Principal Member: Edward J. Sondik
Deputy/Alternate: Jennifer Madans, James Lubitz
Working Group: Ellen Kramarow, Julie Weeks
Media Contact: Sandy Smith, 301-458-4800
National Institute on Aging
Principal Member: Richard Hodes
Deputy/Alternate: Judy Salerno, Richard Suzman
Working Group: Elayne Heisler
Media Contact: Jeannine Mjoseth, 301-496-1752
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/HHS
Principal Member: Michael O'Grady
Deputy/Alternate: Ruth Katz
Working Group: William Marton, Hakan Aykan
Media Contact: William Marton, 202-690-6443
Office of Management and Budget
Principal Member: Katherine K. Wallman
Working Group: Brian Harris-Kojetin
Media Contact: Chad Kolton, 202-395-9143
Social Security Administration
Principal Member: Susan Grad
Working Group: Howard Iams
Media Contact: Mark Lassiter, 410-965-8904
U.S. Census Bureau
Principal Member: Nancy M. Gordon
Working Group: Karen Humes, Victoria Velkoff
Media Contact: Mike Bergman, 301-763-3046
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics
Staff Director: Kristen Robinson
Media Contact: Sandy Smith, NCHS, 301-458-4800