Many social factors have made it possible for residents of Knoxville and across the nation to live longer than ever. However, many of those who reach an old age find themselves in poor health and some may even be totally disabled. This may reflect a growth in the time that an individual’s quality of life is suffering.
According to one online study published in the American Journal in Public Health, in 2010, men on average had a life span of 76.2-years-old and women had a life span of 81-years-old. Despite these numbers, however the disability rates rose. It is reported that during that year, men lived with a disability for 4.7 years and women lived with a disability for 3.6 years.
The study reports that there are certain factors that are showing that although baby boomers are living longer, they are not experiencing the improvements in their health that generations before them saw. The study concluded that there is a need for individuals to keep healthy and to try to lower the number of individuals who become disabled at younger ages.
Statistics such as this are certainly sobering, but it is good to know that help is available. Social Security disability benefits may be available to those who qualify. These benefits may provide the financial lifeline that it takes to live with a disability, particularly when an individual’s medical condition prevents him or her from working. By applying for benefits, those in Knoxville who are suffering from a disability may find the financial relief they need to make ends meet.
Source: CBS NEWS, “Americans are living longer but more are disabled,” Robert Preidt, Apri 20, 2016l