Tip Sheets

University of Miami Center on Aging: Demographics of an Aging Society

On their face, the statistics are striking. In 2006, about 37 million people in the United States were 65 or older, representing 12.4 percent of the population. By 2030, older Americans will number 71.5 million and account for 20 percent of the population. These changes are likely to lead to challenges in the politics, economies and health care systems of the United States and other countries. What are the important stories in the aging population?

Carl Eisdorfer, M.D., Ph.D., Knight professor and director of the University of Miami Center on Aging, weighs in. See his presentation.