Despite Advances, Challenges Remain for Seniors

While dramatic medical advances and a deeper understanding of overall health hold the promise of a longer life for millions of older Americans, there are still challenges ahead, doctors and seniors agree.

From advances in cancer treatments to lifesaving procedures addressing heart disease to the discovery of the human genome, science is making enormous strides.

The average life expectancy for a U.S. man is 78.7 years; for a woman, it’s 81 years, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging. One hundred years ago, the average life expectancy was 52 years for a man and 56.8 for a woman.

And the number of people reaching 90 and beyond has almost tripled since 1980, hitting the 1.9 million mark in 2010, according to the U.S Census Bureau. People in that age group now make up 4.7 percent of all people 65 and older, as compared with 2.8 percent in 1980. By 2050, the 90-plus population will account for 10 percent of all those 65 and older.

Despite that, the United States ranked 26 out of 36 countries in life expectancy in 2013, right behind Slovenia, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Japan was No. 1.

A number of factors account for the troubling statistic, including heart disease, which is still the top killer of U.S. residents, a National Academy of Sciences study found.

And cigarette smoking, which can cause heart disease and lung cancer, remains a major concern, particularly for women. Smoking mortality is expected to decline among men in the near future, but the study found it will likely remain high among women for another decade or so because they started smoking in greater numbers later than men.

Obesity — still considered epidemic in the U.S. — and lack of exercise also play a role, the study stated. On the bright side, the report found, management of type 2 diabetes, one of the most dangerous consequences of obesity, greatly improved.

The nation’s health care system is at fault as well, said the report. “Certainly, the lack of universal access to health care in the U.S. has increased mortality and reduced life expectancy,” it concluded.

Despite the obstacles, countless Americans are living longer, more productive lives as a direct result of medical progress.

Take Simon Lowy. The 81-year-old Cutler Bay man had a heart attack after his morning jog. He was only 53.

“I thought I was in great shape at the time,” said Lowy, who continues to walk every morning with a group of friends. “Thanks to the advances in medicine and the great doctors, I’m still here.”

Innovative procedures such as the transcatheter aortic valve replacement have dramatically improved the health of many older Americans, according to Dr. Michelle Scannapieco.

Because the procedure can replace diseased heart valves without open-heart surgery, it allows patients in their late 70s or older an opportunity for better health, said Scannapieco.

“They would never have been a candidate before,” she said of many older people. “The risks were too great.”

Over the past 10 years for which statistics are available, the death rate from heart disease has fallen about 39 percent, but it risk factors remain alarmingly high for this number one killer, according to the American Heart Association.

Cancer remains the number two killer in the U.S., a close second to heart disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But targeted therapies and preventive screenings have had a profound effect on cancer treatment, transforming what was often a fatal disease into a chronic illness for many, physicians and researchers agree.

With drugs like Herceptin, which target specific molecules controlling cell growth and the blood supply that feeds tumors, doctors have more tools to attack the disease. And less toxic chemotherapy and more specified approaches give patients “more time and better life quality, which is what we want at this time of life,” Scannapieco said.

Although there’s been much progress in detecting and treating many cancers, the number of people diagnosed and dying form the diseases continues to grow, in part, because we live longer. The latest report from the American Cancer Society estimates more than 1.6 million new cancer cases and more than 585,000 cancer deaths will occur in the United States this year. In 2000, there were approximately 1.2 million new cases and 552,000 deaths.

Among the most significant medical advances of the century is the mapping of the human genome, medical researchers agree.

Just a half century ago, very little was known about the genetic factors that contribute to disease. After decades of international research, known as the Human Genome Project, researchers identified the complete set of DNA in the human body in 2003, according to the National Institutes of Health.

That knowledge has already contributed to the discovery of more than 1,800 disease genes, NIH officials say, allowing researchers to find a gene suspected of causing an inherited disease in a matter of days, rather than years.

As older Americans benefit from scientific progress, they also struggle with health concerns that are less known — or less discussed.

The misuse or abuse of prescription drugs and combining them with alcohol — and, at times, driving — is something Scannapecio said she discusses with older patients.

“They may have a prescription from a condition they no longer have, but they still take,” she said. “It may be a bad mix with something they’re taking today.”

A Place for Mom, a national elder care referral service, recently reported on a study that found significant drug problems among those 65 and older. The report said 12 percent to 15 percent of seniors who seek medical treatment are found to be abusing or misusing prescription drugs. And, a Johns Hopkins Medical School report stated the number of Americans over 50 abusing prescription drugs is projected to hit 2.7 million in 2020, an increase of 190 percent since 2001.

Additionally, a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found more than a third of drinkers age 60 and over “consume amounts of alcohol that are excessive or potentially harmful in combination with certain diseases they have or medications they are taking.”

Despite all the negatives, medical advances, along with better education about nutrition and exercise, are extending Americans’ lives.

GET UP AND MOVE!

Researchers say, “don’t just sit there.” It’s vitally important to one’s health to keep moving, according to many scientific studies.

Here are some ways to remain active:

1. If you’re watching TV, get up and walk around the house when a commercial comes on.

2. When you’re working at a computer, get up and walk around every hour.

3. When you go to the grocery store or mall, park in a space that’s farther away from the entrance.

4. When you get up to have a glass of water or a meal, walk around the house or office.

5. If you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator.