Trends

As the number of aging citizens in the U.S. continues to increase, ADLs will be increasingly in demand as people look for these products to help make their day-to-day lives easier.

In addition, many of these products are cash items, an area that most providers are looking toward to shore up their bottom line.

Consider the following statistics, the latest numbers available from the U.S. Census Bureau:

• 37.3 million: The number of people 65 and older in the United States on July 1, 2006. This age group accounted for 12 percent of the total population. Between 2005 and 2006, this age group in-creased by 473,000 people.
• 86.7 million: Projected population of people 65 and older in 2050. People in this age group would comprise 21 percent of the total population at that time.
• 147%: Projected increase in the 65-and-older population between 2000 and 2050. By comparison, the population as a whole would have increased by only 49 percent during the same period.
• 506 million: Projected 2008 midyear world population 65 and older. Projections indicate the number will increase to 999 million by 2030.
• 5.3 million: The number of people 85 and older in the United States on July 1, 2006.