Elderly Population in the US Hits a Peak

The elderly population in the United States is booming with more and more people living past the age of 90 years. According to the figures released by the Census Bureau, more than 2 million people are over 90 years of age in the country, three times more than the number just three decades ago and experts predict that the population could reach 9 million by 2050.

However a greater percentage of the population over 90 years of age are likely to be homeless or suffer from some form of disability compared to the overall elderly population over 65 years of age. Experts believe that this will put more strain on the retiree income and health care programs that are already facing problems.

The rising population levels are also a cause of concern for the healthcare budget with the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease expected to shoot up from the current levels of 5.4 million to 16 million by 2050 and thereby increasing healthcare costs from $183 billion to $1.1 trillion.

Source-Medindia