Want to live to be over 65? You may have to move...

[Orchidflower]

The over 65 population in America, I think, is something like 12.8% (close enough), so, if you want to live to over 65 you might want to move to one of the following:


http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-198.pdf

That seems pretty sad to me with all the money this country has...or had...that our life span is so short.
Plus, when I checked the World Health Organization's ranking of health care for the U.S., we were #37. Sad to see that, frankly.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I think its a good thing that the life span is so "short"

 

[NW-Bound]

I think its a good thing that the life span is so "short"

Actually, it's not the length so much as to how much suffering and lingering before we die. Here, I think Americans fare worse than others too. Our life expectancy, short as it is compared to other nations, would be even shorter without the tons of money spent to prolong it. So, take out our last few years where the quality of life is pathetic, it is even shorter.

Just an observation that I have, from what I have seen. I do not have statistics to back it up. Perhaps medical people in this forum can present a more factual viewpoint about the quality of life in the last few years, here compared to abroad.

Do I make everybody depressed?

 

[Zoocat]

Death doesn't depress me at all. I'm fortunate to feel very grateful for everything I've experienced and learned from life. But aside from that little philosophy, it's my impression that folks who die around 65 die rather suddenly. It's the folks in their 80s, 90s who linger on with complicated conditions. My dad, for example, is 86 with COPD and a heart monitor. He can still enjoy his golf game, riding in the cart, and a round of bridge, but other than that he mostly reads and watches TV. I don't think that's a bad life at all for him, but he has been lingering on with two heart surgeries and the lung problem from a lifetime of smoking. Frankly, I don't want any more surgeries and would prefer a short, sweet death.

Does that make anyone depressed?

 

[Khan]

Death doesn't depress me at all. I'm fortunate to feel very grateful for everything I've experienced and learned from life. But aside from that little philosophy, it's my impression that folks who die around 65 die rather suddenly. It's the folks in their 80s, 90s who linger on with complicated conditions. My dad, for example, is 86 with COPD and a heart monitor. He can still enjoy his golf game, riding in the cart, and a round of bridge, but other than that he mostly reads and watches TV. I don't think that's a bad life at all for him, but he has been lingering on with two heart surgeries and the lung problem from a lifetime of smoking. Frankly, I don't want any more surgeries and would prefer a short, sweet death.

Does that make anyone depressed?

I have all sorts of hereditary degenerative conditions, and the thought of living past 75 or 80 is not a happy one.

 

[Nords]

I think the variations in that data are huge-- I suspect there's quite a few years' difference between the longevity of someone living in Appalachia vs Hawaii. Especially if their lifestyles involve red meat & tobacco.

I wouldn't want to move to a country filled with old people. I'd want to stay somewhere that has a large pool of [-]hot chicks[/-] younger people looking for home-maintenance and elder-care employment.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I looked at the chart and to me it is just saying that a lot of other countries have older populations than the US (I believe Europe has had a declining birth rate--obviously --for the past couple of generations). And that a lot of other countries are going to get a lot older than the US in the next generation. I don't know why they would necessarily be good places to be

US life expectancy is not that far off the other countries. My MIL is in her 90s and miserable so not exactly enjoying her good fortune at living a long life in her wheelchair in a nursing home.

 

[ziggy29]

I'm always skeptical of these statistics. These are the ones that say things like "the U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate than Kazakhstan" and such -- without accounting for the differences in what constitutes an "infant mortality" in each case.

Usually these are skewed based on how the researchers want people to think of U.S. health care and the current delivery system.

Besides, I'm really not afraid of being dead, though I am a bit afraid of dying, particularly from a long, debilitating illness. My wife and I have made a deal. We live many more happy, healthy years, and then when we're both very old, we kiss goodnight, go to sleep and neither of us wakes up.

 

[CuppaJoe]

So does this justify an 8% SWR in the U.S. and 3% in Italy?

 

[Orchidflower]

Countries With Oldest Population, Top Countries With Oldest Population, World Top Ten Countries With Oldest Population in the World

Can anyone guess what these countries have that allows their aged to grow so old? What are we missing in the U.S.

 

[NW-Bound]

My dad, for example, is 86 with COPD and a heart monitor. He can still enjoy his golf game, riding in the cart, and a round of bridge, but other than that he mostly reads and watches TV. I don't think that's a bad life at all for him, but he has been lingering on with two heart surgeries and the lung problem from a lifetime of smoking.

That's not so bad, compared to my father. He was bedridden for 6 months before he died, near the end not being able to turn in bed. Prior to that he was in a very bad shape for 2-3 years, due to kidney failure and a stroke.

That is lingering in my definition. That was what I meant in my 1st post, but did not elucidate.

My MIL is in her 90s and miserable so not exactly enjoying her good fortune at living a long life in her wheelchair in a nursing home.

At least she could get to a wheelchair, my father couldn't.

Following are the stats of life expectancy around the world. Top three are Macau (84.33yr), Andorra (82.67), and Japan (82.07). The US is the 46th at 78.14 yr, behind nearly all major Western European countries.

And we spend the most money on heathcare!

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html

 

[Meadbh]

Paging the Epidemiologist on call!

No, I'm not an epidemiologist, but I have a working knowledge of population health.

Before you all get depressed about your life span, consider the population mix. It's a mixture of inputs (births, immigrants) and outputs (deaths, emigrants). Yes, many countries, notably Singapore, have a greater percentage increase in elderly population, but that's because they started with a younger population mix, and with increasing prosperity, are building up from a low base of elderly people. Japan has a longer average lifespan even at birth; their eating habits are healthier than those of the US. Italy has the oldest population (Mamma Mia!) because the reproduction rate is low and young people tend to migrate. Afghanistan has a very young population with a high infant mortality rate, so the average lifespan is short.

The best way to compare the age mix of the population of different countries is by examining Population Pyramids. This Wikipedia article explains the concept well.

Population pyramid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And below are some examples from the US Census Bureau:

International Data Base (IDB) - Main

You can see that while Afghanistan clearly has a very, very young population, (big families, early death) the US has a population distribution that is somewhat younger than that of Italy or Japan. (US pyramid is wider at the bottom). That's because people are moving to the US and having more babies. The current US birth rate is 14.2 per 1000, death rate 9.2%, immigrants 2.9 per 1000 (and that's only the legal ones). The current Japanese birth rate is only 7.9 per 1000, death rate 9.3 per 1000, immigrants 0 per 1000.

I hope that helps.

 

[freebird5825]

Countries With Oldest Population, Top Countries With Oldest Population, World Top Ten Countries With Oldest Population in the World

Can anyone guess what these countries have that allows their aged to grow so old? What are we missing in the U.S.

bing bing bing...#4 on the list is the country of my mom's ethnic background. it must be the olive oil and ouzo.

i have actually adopted a less red meat and fat diet over the years, and if course a less stressed and mellower lifestyle for past 1.5 yrs. my doc sez my current low to medium fat diet and my FIRE status are my best friends. he is totally jealous.

 

[NW-Bound]

Can anyone guess what these countries have that allows their aged to grow so old? What are we missing in the U.S.

We eat junk food and do not exercise? And have all sorts of maladies of the rich?

Oh, how can I not have my steak? Perhaps it would be easier in countries where food is not so abundant, where grocery store weekly ads do not tempt me with such good prices on red meat? Me, a foodie, who enjoys cooking and eating!

 

[NW-Bound]

Meadh, the population age is misleading as you say. Perhaps the life expectancy from a CIA link that I included in an earlier post is a better statistical measure. Comments please?

 

[Notmuchlonger]

We eat junk food and do not exercise? And have all sorts of maladies of the rich?

Oh, how can I not have my steak? Perhaps it would be easier in countries where food is not so abundant, where grocery store weekly ads do not tempt me with such good prices on red meat? Me, a foodie, who enjoys cooking and eating!

Personal responsibility. Eat your steak then go out and exercise while ignoring those tasty ads

 

[Nords]

Can anyone guess what these countries have that allows their aged to grow so old? What are we missing in the U.S.

Other than genetics & lifestyle? Here's a starting point:
Amazon.com: The Okinawa Diet Plan: Get Leaner, Live Longer, and Never Feel Hungry: Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, Makoto Suzuki: Books
Amazon.com: The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--And How You Can Too: Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, Makoto Suzuki: Books

 

[aaronc879]

I have all sorts of hereditary degenerative conditions, and the thought of living past 75 or 80 is not a happy one.

Same here. I have a strong feeling that if I live to see 75, i'll wish I hadn't.

 

[Midpack]

I think its a good thing that the life span is so "short"

I absolutely agree. I've always been more interested in quality vs quantity in most all aspects of life (don't want a big house, an expensive car, or to live beyond my usefullness). My parents will turn 87 in a few months, and they are relatively healthy, but it does not look like much fun to me (and they seem to agree)...

 

[Bestwifeever]

Besides we need all those younger people to cough up our Social Security. Come on, kids, keep on coming.

 

[F4mandolin]

After having lived in Okinawa for 5 years (1999-2004), I can vouch that the old diet of Okinawa was great for keeping them alive longer. But....if the things I have read in recent years is accurate (I do not believe all I read), they no longer are living as long as they did. The number of McD's etc and heaven forbid.......KFC....they absolutely love KFC for some reason..... their crappy fat and junk food intake has increased so much that they were starting to slide down the scale fast. One of the local politicians went on a fairly publicised diet about a year before I left....admitted he had gained tons of weight from eating the greasy food he loved....lost a bunch of weight going back to what he used to eat. Basic rule....on the whole Americans don't exercise very much (I do)....and eat tons of crap (unfortunately, I also do). I also am a school teacher who see/hears/ all the complaints.....and yes...I am even a PE teacher. Soon to get out of schools in another year or two....just can't see things working when everybody makes excuses for themselves.

 

[DAYDREAMER]

We just need to set up our society like the movie "Logons Run". All the guess work would go away on how much to save for retirement. Health care issue would be resolved, Social Security would be solved. Life would be Sweet! Well, until the little white crystal turns red and you have to be assimulated.

 

[haha]

Countries With Oldest Population, Top Countries With Oldest Population, World Top Ten Countries With Oldest Population in the World

Can anyone guess what these countries have that allows their aged to grow so old? What are we missing in the U.S.

Yeah. Their young adults don't have many children, and there is limited immigration.

What we are earnestly discussing here is nothing more than an artifact of low population birth rates.

Ha

 

[Notmuchlonger]

My in laws are in their mid 80s. My FIL still drives and they both handle all the yard work. It is all about quality I guess. Wouldn't be much fun being ill or not being able to do anything for yourself.

They really did take care of themselves. Both are reasonably active and neither smokes or drinks. Both are cancer survivors. Im sure luck plays a big part in your quality of life at an older age.

 

[Meadbh]

This article from The Economist argues that improved health does not always make countries richer:

Health and wealth | The Economist

Mr Bleakley also argues that focusing on life expectancy may miss the point. Some health improvements may not lead to a longer life, but may nonetheless make people more productive.

Policies that improve health without affecting the length of life may well be the ones that have a bigger economic pay-off, and a focus on life expectancy may miss this.