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Disability Rises Gradually for a Cohort of Older Americans

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  • Lois M. Verbrugge
  • Dustin C. Brown
  • Anna Zajacova

Abstract

Objectives:We study changes in average disability over nearly two decades for a large epidemiological cohort of older Americans. As some people exit by mortality, do average disability levels for the living cohort rise rapidly, rise gradually, stay steady, or decline?Method:Data are from the Study of Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) cohort for 1993–2010. Cohort members are aged 70+ in 1993 (mean = 77.5 years), and the survivors are aged 87+ in 2010 (mean = 90.2 years). Personal care disability (activities of daily living), household management disability (instrumental activities of daily living), and physical limitations are studied. We study average disability for the living cohort over time and the disability histories for decedent and survivor groups.Results:Average disability rises gradually over time for the living cohort. Earlier decedent groups have higher average disability than later ones. Near death, disability rises sharply for all decedent groups. Longer surviving groups have less average disability, and slower disability increases, than shorter surviving groups. All results are repeated for younger cohort members (baseline age = 70–79 years), older ones (baseline age = 80+ years), women, and men.Discussion:As a cohort ages, average disability among living members increases gradually, signaling behavioral, psychological, and biological fitness in very old persons.

Suggested Citation

  • Lois M. Verbrugge & Dustin C. Brown & Anna Zajacova, 2017. "Disability Rises Gradually for a Cohort of Older Americans," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 72(1), pages 151-161.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:72:y:2017:i:1:p:151-161.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbw002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Philippa Clarke & Jacqui Smith, 2011. "Aging in a Cultural Context: Cross-national Differences in Disability and the Moderating Role of Personal Control Among Older Adults in the United States and England," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 66(4), pages 457-467.
    2. Torrance J. Higgins & Christopher M. Janelle & Todd M. Manini, 2014. "Diving Below the Surface of Progressive Disability: Considering Compensatory Strategies as Evidence of Sub-Clinical Disability," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(2), pages 263-274.
    3. James Vaupel & Kenneth Manton & Eric Stallard, 1979. "The impact of heterogeneity in individual frailty on the dynamics of mortality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 16(3), pages 439-454, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Keith T. Chan & Carl Algood & Andreana Prifti & Tarek Zidan, 2021. "Cross-Cultural Measurement Invariance of a Measure of Disability for White, Black, Hispanic and Asian Older Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-14, February.
    2. Nico Keilman & Dinh Q. Pham & Astri Syse, 2018. "Mortality shifts and mortality compression. The case of Norway, 1900-2060," Discussion Papers 884, Statistics Norway, Research Department.

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