The older adult population is expected to reach 82.1 million by 2050, yet less than 1% of physicians specialize in their care, according to a recent study of Americans over the age of 65.
Philanthropic organization The John A. Hartford Foundation partnered with Age Wave, to research how older adults are experiencing and navigating the healthcare industry.
The findings were published Sept. 17 in the "Meeting the Growing Demand for Age-Friendly Care: Health Care at the Crossroads" survey. More than 2,500 adults ages 65 and older provided their insights in a survey conducted by The Harris Poll between April 17 and May 9.
The survey found five healthcare disruptors: demographic shifts, the healthspan-lifespan gap, fragmentation, high costs and inequity, workforce shortages, and technological advances.
Here are 10 main takeaways from the survey:
- U.S. adults age 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of the population. The population is expected to reach 71.2 million by 2030 and 82.1 million by 2050.
- Expected life spans of U.S. adults do not match the expected health span, or the number of years expected to live healthfully. The expected lifespan for women in the U.S. is 80 years, while the expected healthspan is 65.7. The expected lifespan for men in the U.S. is 74.3 years, while the expected healthspan is 63.2.
- Thirty percent of adults ages 65 and older said they see more than five physicians a year.
- The Medicare recipient over the age of 65 spends over $6,600 on healthcare annually. Long-term care costs average $104,000 for care facilities and $69,000 for at-home care per year.
- Inequities are found in lifespan and healthspan outcomes across financial status, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, location, and age.
- One in 4 Medicare patients said they experienced harm while hospitalized.
- There is a projected shortage of 338,000 registered nurses and 140,000 physicians by 2036.
- Eighty-seven percent of nursing homes reported serious staffing shortages in 2022, with more than 61% having to limit patient admissions.
- Less than 1% of physicians are geriatric specialists and only 10% of medical schools require geriatric rotations.
- The healthcare improvements breakthroughs older adults hope to see are technologies or medicines to reduce or prevent cognitive decline (69%), medical devices to improve mobility/prevent needing a wheelchair/walker (54%), technology to grow new cells/organs (50%), enhanced risk detection and diagnostic capabilities from AI (44%), personalized health advice/treatments from biometric data (38%).