Facts and Figures

The number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to nearly double from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060, and will make up 23% of the population. In the 2000 census, they were only 12% of the U.S. population.

In 2017, the not-for-profit senior living organization National Senior Campuses reported over 19,000 senior living units across the United States.

A survey from the national Disabled Living Foundation charity found that more people are afraid of losing their independence in old age and being forced to move into a nursing home than they are of dying.

Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions: high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.

Over 77% of older adults surveyed reported experiencing one or more incidents of ageism; and more than half of the reported incidents were reported to have occurred “more than once.”

A study from a pharmacy benefit management service found that consumers with private insurance now spend, on average, more on prescriptions to fight conditions long seen as natural effects of growing older—including mental alertness, sexual dysfunction, menopause, aging skin, and hair loss—than they do on medication to treat diseases.

The anti-aging industry is an $80 billion-a-year business. No treatments have been proven to slow or reverse the aging process.