The U.S. population is aging and the number of people reporting each type of disability rises dramatically with age (Figure 2).

d

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation. August-November 1997. http://www.census.fog/prod/2001pubs/p70-73.pdf.

In the next 10 years, the number of Americans over 50 will increase by 40 percent.¹⁵ With age also comes the highest income, greatest wealth and most free time. AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS reports that the one-quarter of Americans who are 50 or older, control one-half of the nation’s buying power and three-fourths of its assets, representing $150 billion in annual discretionary income, and billions more for necessities like housing and food.¹⁶

As Figure 3 illustrates, between 2000 and 2030, the number of Americans over age 65 will more than double, from 34.8 million to more than 70.3 million, while their share of the population will grow from 12.7 percent to 20 percent. During this period, the number of Americans over age 85 will also double, from 4.3 million to 8.9 million. In addition, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase 135 percent between 1995 and 2050, according to the Census Bureau.¹⁷

The Social Security Administration reports that about 30 percent of all Americans become disabled prior to retirement age.¹⁸ In fact, more than 70 percent of us will acquire a disability of some kind by the time we reach the age of 75, making technology a crucial factor in maintaining our quality of life as we grow older.¹⁹

Sources: 1900-1980: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Decennial Censuses of Population. 1990: U.S. Bureau of Census, Projections of the Population of the United States, by Age, Sex, and Race: 1983 to 2080. Current Population Reports, Series P-25, No. 952, May 194. Projections are Middle Series, 2000-2050; U.S. Census Bureau, ProjectioGroups, and Sex with Special Age Categories, Middle Series, 1999 to 2100, (NP-T3), January 2000.