Aging facts to be aware of

Marital status is an important factor when considering long-term care planning. Here is important data from the just-published A Profile of Older Americans, 2004 published by the Administration on Aging, US Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2003, older men were much more likely to be married than older women - 71% of men vs. 41% of women. Almost half of all older women were widows. There were over four times as many widows (8.2 million) as widowers (2 million). Divorced and separated older persons represented 10.7% of all older persons in 2003. This is an increase from 5.3% in 1980.