The Michigan Office of Services to the Aging is committed to the goal of helping people live longer, and live well. Here are some reasons why there's an urgent need to address this issue.

Michigan
The National Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued its 2007 national report card--a state by state comparison--on key factors impacting healthy aging. Here is how Michigan ranked on several healthy aging indicators relative to other states; these findings have significant bearing on future plans for helping Michiganians live longer, and live well. The indicators relate to health status, health behaviors, preventive care and screening.

• Michigan ranked very well in the upper one-third of states with regard to dental care and emotional well being. Residents experienced complete tooth loss and frequent mental distress at a rate less than two-thirds of the rest of the nation.
• Michigan had an average ranking of the number of physically unhealthy days in past month, no leisure time physical activity, eating 5 fruits/vegetables each day, currently smoking, and flu/pneumonia vaccine.
• Michigan performed poorly in the areas of obesity and disability, falling in the lower one-third of states in these categories.

Trends

• First, the demographic imperative--people living longer and more people growig older. The growth in the number and proportion of older adults is unprecedented in the history of our country. Longer life spans and aging baby boomers--76 million of them--are teaming up to double the population of older Americans during the next 25 years.
• Second, diversity. Our nation's older population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. This is occurring at a time when the burden of chronic illnesses, like diabetes and high blood pressure, varies widely by race and ethnicity.
• Third, money. The cost of providing health care for an older person is three to five times greater than the cost of someone younger than 65. As a result, by 2030 health care spending is projected to increase by 25 percent due to the demographic shift.

• Chronic illness accounts for 70 percent of all deaths in our country, and a similar proportion of all health care expenses.
• Three behaviors--smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity--were the root causes of almost 35 percent of U.S. deaths in 2000.
• Adopting healthy behaviors, eating nutritious foods, being physically active, and avoiding tobacco use, can curb or control the devastating effects of many chronic conditions, regardless of one's age.
• Although the risk of disease and disability increases with advancing age, poor health and loss of independence are not inevitable consequences of aging.
• Major chronic disease killers include heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.
• Eighty percent of older adults have at least one chronic condition; fifty percent have at least two.
• It is widely recognized that the health care system is not designed to meet chronic care needs; conditions often do not receive optimal care due to lack of care coordination; there is inadequate patient education, and there is often a lack of sensitivity to functional status and quality of life issues.

• Only 30 percent of people aged 45-64 exercise regularly; 32 percent of those 65+ follow a regular plan of exercise.
• We know that the human body repairs itself, and performs more efficiently with proper conditioning.
• Without exercise, fat replaces muscle, muscles become smaller and weaker, and people gain weight.
• People can get "in shape" at any age.
• Recent research has found that people need a combination of three types of exercise: weight training for strength, aerobic exercise for endurance, and calisthenics for flexibility.
• Scientific evidence increasingly indicates that physical activity can extend years of active independent life, reduce disability, and improve the quality of life for older persons.
• Causes of inactivity include avoiding discomfort (muscle/joint aches); convenience of modernization (cars, elevators); sedentary recreation (TV, movies); disease (hypertension, diabetes); injury (strained muscles).

• Good nutrition, including a diet that is low in saturated fats and contains five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, is vital in maintaining good health.
• Improving the diet of older adults could extend productive life span and reduce the occurrence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
• Less than one-third of adults 65 years and older meet the "5-A-Day" (5 fruits and vegetables a day) recommendation.
• Reasons to eat well: malnutrition presents a major health risk; diet requirements change with aging; medications may interact with foods; vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be avoided; calorie needs increase with exercise.
• Reasons older people have trouble eating: can't chew; upset stomach; can't shop; can't cook; no appetite; short on money.

• Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death/disease in the U.S.
• About 9 percent of older adults smoke.
• Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density and increased risk for hip fracture than non-smoking women.
• Even people who have smoked all of their lives can gain significant health benefit from quitting--overall lung function improves within two weeks to three months of quitting.
• The American Cancer Society estimates that cigarette smoking is responsible for one of every five deaths, or more than 440,000 deaths nationwide each year.
• Tobacco use increases the risk for diseases of the heart and cancer.
• Smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages, regardless of whether they have a smoking-related disease.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine

For more information on healthy living:

• NCOA Center for Healthy Aging
• Centers for Disease Control, Michigan Profile of Chronic Disease
• Healthy Aging Partnership