CULTURE WATCH : ‘Oldest of the Old’ Group Is Growing
The old are older than they used to be. In 1900, only 4% of Americans were 85 or over. Today, it’s more than 10%--about 3 million in all.
What experts call the oldest old --those 85 and over--are the fastest-growing age group in the American population, according to the 1990 census.
In the last decade, the 85-and-over population increased 38%, compared to 20% for the 65-to-84 group and only 8% for those under 65. Since 1960, the number of Americans 85 and over has grown by 232%, while the whole population grew 39%.
More middle-aged and older people must care for parents who are frail and very old. In 1950, for every 100 Americans from 50 to 64, there were only three people 85 and over. By 1900, that number had tripled to nine.
Among the oldest old, women outnumber men by 2-to-1. About 30% of Americans can expect to reach an 85th birthday--39% of women and 21% of men.
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