Today, many of us can look forward to a longer life span than ever imagined by our ancestors. According to the Census Bureau, the 85 years and older population in America is the fastest growing age group, and if you manage to get to 65, you could have an average of almost 18 additional years left to live. The average lifespan of people has risen to 78 for men and 84 for women.

As a consequence, the current group of people 65 and older is pushing 13% of the population. In the year 2000, the 65+ represented 12.4% of the population, but by the year 2030, they will be 19% of the population. The Census Bureau has even predicted that the United States would have 5.3 million people aged over 100 in 2100.

We are living longer and becoming more numerous for a variety of reasons. It isn’t just the sheer numbers (78 million) who were born between 1946 and 1964, or the large groups of immigrants who came at different periods in recent history.  It is also because of major public health achievements in this country that have prevented deaths once frequent in earlier times.  In the article “Ten Life Expectancy Successes to be Grateful For” by Mark Stibich, Ph.D. from the about.com website (Updated 9/29/09), the following achievements were identified: immunizations and vaccines, motor vehicle safety, work place safety, controlling infectious diseases, heart and stroke mortality, safer, healthier foods, protecting mothers and babies, family planning, fluoridation of drinking water and tobacco control.

But along with living longer, a few problems present themselves. Chronic conditions rather than acute conditions become more prevalent. Some illnesses are associated mainly with old age, such as Alzheimer’s. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.3 million Americans have the disease.

Living longer depends upon factors that may not be in your control, such as genetics or access to health care.  But more and more, there is a lot of attention to those factors that become our responsibility, such as hygiene, diet, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and socialization. At the least, we should all be pursuing the concept of preventive care, such as screening and early detection, education, or interventions to address negative lifestyle choices and to improve healthy lifestyles.  To promote preventive care as another way of controlling costs, the government just announced rules for one of the benefits of the new healthcare law.  Private insurers will soon be barred from charging co-pays or deductibles for certain screenings, routine vaccinations, and a range of other preventive health services. The rules take effect for new health plans that begin on or after Sept. 23rd.