Older Adults

Goal: Improve health and well-being for older adults.

By 2060, almost a quarter of the U.S. population will be age 65 or older.1 Healthy People 2030 focuses on reducing health problems and improving quality of life for older adults.

Older adults are at higher risk for chronic health problems like diabetes, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, 1 in 4 older adults fall each year, and falls are a leading cause of injury for this age group.2 Physical activity can help older adults prevent both chronic disease and fall-related injuries.

Older adults are also more likely to go to the hospital for some infectious diseases — including pneumonia, which is a leading cause of death for this age group. Making sure older adults get preventive care, including vaccines to protect against the flu and pneumonia, can help them stay healthy.

Objective Status

  • 1 Target met or exceeded
  • 1 Improving
  • 0 Little or no detectable change
  • 2 Getting worse
  • 13 Baseline only
  • 3 Developmental
  • 0 Research

Learn more about objective types

Want to track healthy aging objectives?

Healthy People 2030 features a wide variety of objectives that are directly or indirectly related to helping people stay healthy as they age. We've compiled those objectives into a custom list so they're easy for you to reference and track.

Want to learn how SDOH affect older adults?

Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a big impact on our chances of staying healthy as we age. Healthy People’s actionable scenarios highlight ways professionals can support older adults’ health and well-being.

References

1.

Mather, M., Jacobsen, L.A., & Pollard, K.M. (2015). Aging in the United States. Population Reference Bureau Population Bulletin [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/aging-us-population-bulletin-1.pdf

2.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Older Adult Falls Data. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/index.html