Trends In Care Needs Among Older US Adults Diverged By Age, 2011-22

Changing late-life disability and care patterns that may accompany population aging have profound consequences for the nation's health and related public policies. Drawing on two cross-sectional rounds of the National Health and Aging Trends Study, we examined trends among US adults ages 65 and older in 2011, when the oldest members of the baby-boom generation turned age 65, and in 2022, when about half of the generation was ages 65-74. We found increases in the percentage of adults ages 65-74 who reported activity limitations, receiving paid care in the community, and having unmet care needs. In contrast, for older age groups, we found declines in the receipt of care overall and in residential settings, particularly nursing care, without increases in unmet care needs. All else equal, had the sociodemographic and health profile of the group ages 65-74 not differed from the preceding cohort-especially in terms of increased educational attainment-the increases experienced by this age group would have been even larger. Findings portend growing challenges in caring for older US adults in the future.