Fun Facts about Seniors

Here's a little-known fact: Sunday was National Trivia Day! Let's celebrate with some of our favorite facts about Seniors. I hope you enjoy reading this and will also help you be better informed.

There are 8,000 baby boomers in the United States turning 65 every day.

In 2013, adults over 65 constituted 14 percent of the population in the United States and will account for an estimated 20 percent by 2050.

There are already 55,000 Americans over age 100, and by 2050 the number of centenarians will reach 600,000—roughly the population of the entire state of Vermont!

The baby boom generation is more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation. By 2050, 20 percent of seniors will be Hispanic, 12 percent black, and 9 percent Asian.

Women are a majority of seniors, accounting for 57 percent of the U.S. population today and a projected 55 percent of Americans over age 65 by 2050.

Currently people over 65 years number 483 million in the world and by 2030 the number will reach 974 million. By the year 2025 approximately 18 percent of the world population will be seniors. 

There are 72 men for every 100 women in the age group ‘above 65 years’ and there are 45 men per 100 women in the age group ‘above 85 years.’

Reducing the death rate from heart disease or cancer by 20 percent would be worth around $10 trillion to Americans. This would be more than one year's U.S. Gross Domestic Product. 

As per the Guinness Book of World Records  - Jeanne Louise Calment was the oldest human who lived for 122 years and 164 days. She was born in France on February 21, 1875, and died at a nursing home in Arles, southern France, on August 4, 1997.

In the United States, seniors account for 40 percent of all prescriptions although they form only 15 percent of the population. 

Older people are more prone to loneliness and depression and have a higher rate of suicide. In 1997, 20 percent of all U.S. suicide deaths were by individuals aged 65 and older. 

Keeping physically active can slow the ageing process. Exercise is the mantra to keep young and feel good. A study published in 1995 that tracked 9,777 men between 20 and 82 years found that physically unfit men who became fit had death rates 44 percent lower than those who remained unfit. 

Regular exercise prevents bone loss and incidence of fractures; it increases the muscle strength and hence the balance and co-ordination.

Here is what some seniors have contributed to our world in their later years: 

Sophocles was 89 when he wrote Oedipus at Colonus, one of his dramatic
masterpieces.

On the day of his death, at the age of 78, Galileo was said to be planning a new
kind of clock that would tell time—in minutes and seconds, not just hours—using
a pendulum swing instead of movement of water or sand.

Isaac Newton, better known for his scientific achievements, became a scourge of
counterfeiters as the Warden of the Royal Mint, a position he held until his death
in his mid-80s.

Benjamin Franklin only retired from public service when he was 82.

Benjamin Disraeli was 70 when he became prime minister of England for the
second time.

Susan B. Anthony was past 80 when she formed the International Woman
Suffrage Alliance.

Henrik Ibsen was 71 when he wrote his last play, When We Dead Awaken.

Mary Baker Eddy was 86 when she founded the Christian Science Monitor
newspaper.

Alexander Graham Bell was 75 when he received a patent for his work on a
hydrofoil boat.

Sarah Bernhardt was 78 when she acted in her last stage performance—La
Gloire by Maurice Rostand.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was reading Plato in Greek when he was 92.

Ignace Paderewski was 79 when he retired from playing the piano in concerts.

George Bernard Shaw was working on his last play, Why She Would Not, when
he was 94.

Grandma Moses received her last commission as an artist when she was 99.

A few more factoids:

Senior citizens are the fastest-growing demographic on Facebook. Research studies done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 53 percent of Americans who are the ages of 65 or older are online and 34 percent of those numbers are on Facebook and similar social sites.
 
In America, seniors use more internet than anyone else. Seniors in America are the fastest growing group of consumers buying new computers and logging time online. In fact, older adults aged 55 years old and older log the most usage online with 33 hours a month spent on sites like Facebook and 7.6 million senior internet surfers.

Seniors make more life transitions than any other age range. Adults in their 50s and 60s experience more significant transitions in life and any other phase of life. This can be an exciting time of experiencing new hobbies, making lifelong friends and defining what life means to them. This also includes becoming more involved in a community of similar aged adults and having fun with exercising, unique activities and hobbies.

According to data compiled by the Social Security Administration, a man reaching age 65 today can expect to live, on average, until age 84.3. A woman turning age 65 today can expect to live 86.6.

People over 75 years old visit the doctor 3 times more often than people 22 to 44 years old.

Elderly people occupy over 1/3 of all federally subsidized housing.

An estimated 1 in 10 senior citizens are victims of elder abuse, the intentional acts by a caregiver that lead to physical, psychological, or emotional harm.

US poverty rates are highest for people 65 and older, with 10.5 percent living in poverty. There are also sharp racial differences in the data: the rates are at least 3 times higher for Hispanics and African-Americans ages 65+ than for whites 65+.

As you know, helping low-income seniors maintain their independence is what H.O.M.E. is all about. It’s our mission and our passion.

If you share our passion please consider helping. We would love to have some volunteers who would help at Nathalie Salmon or Pat Crowley House. A few of the opportunities are:

· Be a Guest Chef –you and your family or friends prepare a meal for 12 – 14 residents, hang out after     and play games or watch a movie
· Host a Bingo Game
· Plan Valentines Day Party

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