A new survey, conducted in joint effort by the National Council on Aging, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, UnitedHealthCare, and USA Today, found that 89% of older adults and 84% of younger adults are optimistic they can maintain a high quality of life in their latter years.
Consisting of over 2,000 adult respondents, the researchers conducted a phone survey that asked how one felt about their quality of life and many cited a number of factors as to why they're confident they can continue on the same, healthy path: family, friends, living situation, financial status, health, and optimism. 50% of the respondents were 60 and older with the other half between the ages of 18 and 59.
Family and friends ranked atop the list, but financial status remained an issue for many. Nearly half, 45% of those aged 60 and over, wished they had saved more money, and 31% said they wish they made better investments. Half were also concerned about their savings and income being sufficient to last them for the rest of their lives.
"We had this little fantasy - Social Security and your pension were going to save the day and now we know it's not," said Toni Antonucci, a psychologist at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a member of the MacArthur Research Network on Aging, in this USA Today article.
But despite fiscal situations, being healthy or getting healthier was a big factor for the respondents. When asked, "Who is the most influential person in your life encouraging you to stay healthy or get healthier?" 39% of older adults and 43% of younger adults responded 'myself,' and 26% and 20% responded 'my spouse.' Perhaps general health could be the most important category, as it possesses many mental and physical implications.
Similarly, the 2014 United States Aging Survey found that those aged 60 years and over report they are more motivated to improve their health and exercise regularly by setting health goals. An impressive 37% of seniors said they exercise every day, compared to 26% in 2013, and 53% reported setting health goals, compared to 47% last year. The top three health goals included eating healthier (37%), losing weight (30%), and being more physically active (24%). You can read more about it in this Wall Street Journal article.
Maintaining one's health is important today in the United States, especially due to rising health care costs and the prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and others that affect a great number of the population.
The joint survey only highlighted some of the results in this USA Today article, and they'll hopefully release more details when they get the opportunity.
