CHAPTER 19

LECTURE EXTENSION

Leading Causes of Death among Older Adults

During 1996, approximately 2.3 million deaths were reported in the United States, the majority of which (74 percent) were among adults aged 65 years or older. The leading cause of death for adults in this age range was heart disease (1,808 deaths/100,000 population). With a rate of 6,314 per 100,000 population, deaths from heart disease accounted for 41 percent of all deaths among adults aged 85 years or older. Deaths caused by cancer ranked as the second leading cause of death among older adults, but first among those aged 65 to 74 years. Across age groups, the cancer death rate was higher among blacks than whites and considerably higher among men.

Cerebrovascular diseases represent the third leading cause of death for older adults. The proportion of deaths caused by cerebrovascular diseases increased with age, doubling from 5.3 percent among adults aged 65 to 74 years to 10.5 percent among those aged 85 years or older. The death rate for cancer was approximately sixfold higher than that for cerebrovascular diseases among adults aged 65 to 74 years. Among adults aged 85 years or older, the two death rates were similar; however, for white women aged 85 years or older, deaths caused by cerebrovascular diseases outnumbered deaths caused by cancer.

The importance of pneumonia and influenza as a cause of death increased with age. Pneumonia and influenza ranked as the sixth leading cause of death among adults aged 65 to 74 years, fifth among those aged 75 to 84 years, and fourth among those aged 85 years or older. This pattern was observed across sex and ethnic categories.

Differences exist between whites and blacks for several leading causes of death. Notably, the Alzheimer's disease death rate was higher among whites (66 per 100,000) than among blacks (38 per 100,000). The highest rate was observed among white women aged 85 years or older (313 per 100,000), among whom Alzheimer's disease ranked as the sixth leading cause of death. In contrast, the death rates for diabetes, kidney diseases, septicemia, and hypertension were approximately 2 to 2.5 times higher among blacks than among whites; this pattern generally held true across age and sex categories.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999). Surveillance for morbidity and mortality among older adults - United States, 1995-1996. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 48, 7-25.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Public Mourning: How Does Our Society Mourn the Loss of a Public Figure?

Ask students to think of public figures whose deaths they remember. These figures could be political figures, religious figures, entertainment figures, or other figures of prominence. Have students describe the public mourning rituals that surrounded the figure's death. Ask students if they have flashbulb memories-very clear, detailed memories-of the time, place, and circumstances in which they first heard of the death. (Research has shown that flashbulb memories can be inaccurate.) Other topics for discussion might include: Did the public figure's image change after death? How is the anniversary of the death memorialized? Were you surprised at the depth of your grief or the grief of others at the loss of the public figure?