Katharina Buczek
According to a new nationally representative study of 5.4 million older Americans, disability prevalence among U.S. adults over the age of 65 was significantly lower from 2008 to 2017 as compared to the decade prior.
This stark decline was apparent in various day-to-day activities. For instance, the odds of encountering limitations in daily living– such as bathing or getting dressed– decreased by 18%. Similarly, the odds of experiencing functional limitations– such as difficulty climbing stairs or walking– decreased by 13%.
Back in 2008, approximately 12.1% of older U.S. adults reported experiencing limitations in daily living. Yet, by 2017, this reporting population decreased to 9.6%.
To put the decline into perspective: if the prevalence of daily living limitations remained at the 2008 level of 12.1%, then 1.27 million more older Americans would have been affected in 2017.
Functional limitations also witnessed a considerable decrease from 27.3% to 23.5% between 2008 and 2017.
Due to this decline, 1.89 million fewer U.S. adults encountered functional limitations that impacted their quality of life.
According to Esme Fuller-Thomson, the study’s first author, these dramatic improvements have critical implications for communities across the nation.
“This decline in the prevalence of disabilities has a wide range of benefits for older adults, their families and caregivers, and the healthcare system at large,” she said.
Older women did show greater improvements in disabilities as opposed to older men. The researchers found that women’s odds of encountering daily living limitations decreased by 20% compared to the 13% decrease among men.
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