Early onset chronic disease, a growing caregiving gap, and climate change are among the major trends affecting the health and well-being of older Americans and their families, according to leading scholars from across the country.
Before a standing-room-only crowd at the 2025 meeting of the Population Association of America in Washington, D.C., experts identified seven key themes that are challenging policymakers, planners, and families as the U.S. population rapidly ages.
1. U.S. Life Expectancy Gains Have Stalled, Lagging Behind Other Higher-Income Countries
The United States has experienced the earliest and greatest slowdown in life expectancy improvements among higher-income countries, reported Eileen Crimmins of the University of Southern California/University of California-Los Angeles Center on Biodemography and Population Health*.*
“We have horrible life expectancy—and it’s getting worse and worse,” she said, pointing to the diverging line for the United States in Figure 1. Though premature deaths from heart disease and stroke have declined, Americans today are unhealthy for a longer portion of their lives, coping with chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, cancer, and heart problems.
While we “have a long way to go” to improve the health of the U.S. population, Crimmins said, new research into biomarkers gathered through blood and other medical tests is offering clues into what speeds up or slows down the aging process, including stress levels, income, and social connections over a lifetime.
FIGURE 1: THE UNITED STATES EXPERIENCED THE EARLIEST AND GREATEST SLOWDOWN IN LIFE EXPECTANCY IMPROVEMENTS AMONG HIGHER-INCOME COUNTRIES
TRENDS IN LIFE EXPECTANCY AMONG 23 HIGHER-INCOME COUNTRIES, 1980-2024
Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects.
2. Americans Are Spending More of Their Later Years With Chronic Diseases Rooted in Their Early Lives
3. The United States Faces a Caregiving Crisis As the Cadre of Traditional Caregivers Shrinks
4. Older Adults’ Social Ties Are More Important to Health and Longevity Than Many Realize
5. Medicare Advantage Plans Could Lead to Cost Savings and More Home-Based Services, But May Shift More Caregiving to Families
6. Americans Caring for Relatives With Dementia See Increasing Demands on Their Time and Constraints on Their Employment
7. Extreme Weather Events and Warmer Temperatures Pose Unique Challenges for Older People
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