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Fast Facts on Aging


  • Do you know that people 65 and over currently make up 12% of the US population? In many developed countries, people 65 and over make up 20% of the population.
  • Do you know that there are 70,000 people in this country who are 100 years of age or older? By 2050, this number will have increased 10 fold.

  • Do you know that once you reach age 65, you are likely to live an additional 20 years? As nurses you need to help shape the landscape for your patient's retirement and old age. Nurses with geriatric knowledge are the first line of defense in assuring good care to older adults.

  • Do you know that most older people live in their own home? Even for people 85 and over, 70% live in their own home.

  • Do you know that only 5% of adults age 65 and over live in a nursing home? But a third of people 65 and over will spend some time in a nursing home before they die, often for a short stay to recuperate after a hospitalization.

  • Do you know that the largest age group of people who use hospitals are 65 and over? Yet, less than 1% of the nation's 2.2 million nurses working today are certified in geriatrics. We need to make sure that every nurse gives the very best care to older patients.

  • Do you know that 63% of people with cancer are 65 and over? Yet very few nurses who care for cancer patients are familiar with the age changes that critically impact how these patients respond to their treatment.

  • Do you know that more than 50% of the patients in critical care are 65 and over? Yet very few nurses who work in critical care are familiar with the age changes that have a major impact how these patients respond to their treatment.

  • Do you know that every year people 65 and over make over 21 million ambulatory care visits to a nurse or nurse practitioner? Yet very few of these nurses are familiar with the age changes that impact how these older patients respond to treatment.

  • Do you know that on graduation, patients 65 are nurses' predominant caseload? 57% of new RNs say that patients 65 and over are their primary caseload. Yet, fewer than on third of these graduates have taken a required course in geriatrics.