Report Card: Senior Health: A quick look at the over-65 population in Tennessee
There are more than 1 million people ages 65+ in Tennessee. That’s 16% of Tennessee’s 6.7 million people. National Health Index The conditions with the biggest health impacts in Tennessee that affect seniors are: Hypertension: 13.5% Depression: 8.8% Substance or alcohol abuse: 8.2% High cholesterol: 7.8% Heart disease: 7.6% Diabetes: 5.9% COPD: 4% According to the BCBS Health Index, the health impact of a condition is how much it adversely affects the health of a population. Hypertension 1 in every 2 Tennessee seniors has high blood pressure. Depression Diabetes More than 25% of U.S. seniors have diabetes. That percentage is higher in Tennessee. Heart disease Alzheimer’s disease 110,000 Tennesseans age 65+ have Alzheimer’s disease. There has been a 148% increase […]
