Fact Sheet
Read the NAELA Fact Sheet.
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Current Membership in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys: 4,400
Aging Trends:
- The number of Baby Boomers in America is estimated to be 78.2 million and the first Baby Boomers will be turning 65 in 2011. By the year 2020, the over-65 population is expected double.
(Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. Older Americans Update 2006: Key Indicators of Well-Being. Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office May 2006).
- In 2006, there were nearly 500 million people age 65 and older worldwide. By 2030, it is projected to increase to 1 billion or 1 in every 8 of the earth’s residents.
(“Why Population Aging Matters- A Global Perspective,” National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of State, March 2007).
- Globally, and for the first time in recorded history, it will soon be the case that older people will outnumber children under age 5.
(“Why Population Aging Matters- A Global Perspective,” National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of State, March 2007).
Medical/Living Conditions:
- Older men and women are participating in the labor force significantly more than in the past. The labor force participation rates for men age 65 to 69 increased 25 percent in 1993 to 34 percent in 2005. The labor force participation rates for women increased from 14 percent in 1985 to 24 percent in 2005.
(Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. Older Americans Update 2006: Key Indicators of Well-Being. Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office May 2006).
- A recent AARP survey found that a significant majority of Americans over the age of 50 say that as they retire, they would prefer to “age in place,” by either staying in their current home or moving to one nearby.
(AARP’s “2005 State of 50+ America Survey”)
Caregiving:
- People are living longer and having fewer children. There is a rising concern that people will have less family support as they age.
(Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. Older Americans Update 2006: Key Indicators of Well-Being. Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office May 2006).
- The value of the services family caregivers provide for “free” is estimated to be $306 billion a year. That is almost twice as much as is actually spent on homecare and nursing home services combined ($158 billion).
(Arno, Peter S., “Economic Value of Informal Caregiving,” presented at the Care Coordination and the Caregiving Forum, Dept. of Veterans Affairs, NIH, Bethesda, MD, January 25-27, 2006).
