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<p><b>Best States for Healthy Retirement</b><b><br>
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<p>The number of senior citizens living in the United States is
expected to double in the next 25 years. The aging baby boom
generation and improved medical technology will lead to
significant increased demand for health care, palliative care,
and other industries specifically tailored to the aging
population.</p>
<p>Some states are likely better prepared than others for the
growing elderly population. In these states, senior citizens
tend to live much longer, healthier, more enjoyable lives than
in other states. Based on data collected by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the
health of retirement age adults in each of the 50 states.</p>
<p>Being more prone to disease and injury, older Americans need to
take care of their health even more than younger Americans. For
example, regular physical activity is important for the young
and old to prevent a variety of health conditions, but it has
additional importance for senior citizens because it is crucial
in reducing the risk of falls, according to the CDC. Falling is
the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for the
elderly, and 31.7% of older Americans report falling and
injuring themselves each year.</p>
<p><span style="color:#008000;"><strong><a
href="http://247wallst.com/special-report/2016/08/17/best-states-for-healthy-retirement/2/"
style="color:#008000;">Click here to see the best states
for healthy retirement.</a></strong></span></p>
<p>Similarly, obesity is one of the leading risk factors of
life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and
hypertension across the population as a whole, and these
conditions are more common among senior citizens. Eating healthy
and exercising are, for this reason, perhaps more important for
senior citizens.</p>
<p>As individuals age, the risks and consequences of certain
diseases and illnesses increase. For example, the CDC reports
that between 80% to 90% of all flu-related deaths occur in
people 65 and older. The elderly are also at greater risk of
certain cancers.</p>
<p>Since older Americans are more vulnerable in many ways, it is
important they receive preventative medical treatments and
screenings. If proper precautions are taken, the seasonal flu
can be preventable and certain cancers can be caught early
enough that treatment is more likely to be successful.
Nationwide, 66.9% of retirement age adults have had a flu shot
in the past year, and 73.1% have received adequate colon cancer
screening. These rates vary dramatically between states.</p>
<p>The CDC defines frequent mental distress as feeling in poor
mental health at least 14 days of the last 30. Poor mental
health is closely tied to unhealthy behaviors. Though the
elderly are less prone to mental distress than younger age
groups, poor mental health may take a greater toll on older
individuals. According to the CDC, older adults who experience
frequent mental distress are less likely to lead physically
healthy lives. Nationwide, 6.9% of adults 65 and older
experience frequent mental distress. This share varies greatly
by state from as few as 3.9% of seniors in Iowa to as many as
10.5% in West Virginia.</p>
<p>In the 25 states with the smallest shares of elderly residents
reporting frequent mental distress, senior citizens are more
likely to be physically active, more likely to have a healthy
diet, less likely to be obese, and less likely to smoke than the
typical elderly American.</p>
<p>While life expectancy was not part of our analysis, the
conditions that lead to healthier lives for elderly Americans
also appear to lead to longer lives. The life expectancies in
the 10 least healthy states for retirees is below the national
average of 78.5 years. Similarly, the 10 states with the
healthiest retirees have above average life expectancy.</p>
<p>In order to determine the states with the healthiest elderly
population, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the CDC’s report
“The State of Aging and Health in America 2013.” The report,
based primarily on 2010 data, is the most recent publication on
the subject from the CDC. We ranked each state in 17 measures of
health behaviors and outcomes among Americans 65 and older and
averaged all 17 ranks to determine how healthy are senior
citizens in each state. We also considered life expectancy by
state as provided by the Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development. Life expectancy was not a component of the
overall rank calculation.</p>
<p>These are the states with the healthiest and least healthy
retirees.</p>
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<p><strong>40. Idaho</strong><br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ w/ disability:</strong> 40.7% (12th highest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ obese:</strong> 25.4% (17th highest)<br>
<strong>> Flu vaccine in past year, 65+:</strong> 60.7% (2nd
lowest)<br>
<strong>> Life expectancy:</strong> 78.9 years (21st highest)</p>
<p>Many elderly residents in Idaho are not taking certain simple
steps that can be lifesaving. Nearly 10% of those who should be
taking blood pressure medication do not, the second highest share
in the country. Additionally, only 60.7% of retirement age adults
in the state get a flu shot each year, the second smallest share
of any state in the country.</p>
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<p><strong>9. Washington</strong><br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ w/ disability:</strong> 42.7% (6th highest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ obese:</strong> 23.9% (20th lowest)<br>
<strong>> Flu vaccine in past year, 65+:</strong> 69.3% (16th
highest)<br>
<strong>> Life expectancy:</strong> 79.6 years (11th highest)</p>
<p>Washington’s elderly residents are more likely to take care of
themselves physically than most older Americans. Only 23.3% of
seniors in the state never engage in physical activity, a far
smaller share than the 31.4% of totally sedentary Americans age 65
and older. Retirement age adults in Washington are also more
likely to get an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables in their
diet and are less likely to be obese than most older Americans.
With healthier behaviors, life expectancy in the state is slightly
more than a year longer than the 78.5 year life expectancy
nationwide.</p>
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<p><strong>1. Connecticut</strong><br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ w/ disability:</strong> 32.9% (2nd lowest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ obese:</strong> 22.0% (7th lowest)<br>
<strong>> Flu vaccine in past year, 65+:</strong> 72.4% (3rd
highest)<br>
<strong>> Life expectancy:</strong> 80.4 years (2nd highest)</p>
<p>The elderly living in Connecticut are arguably more likely to
lead long, healthy lives than those in any other state.
Connecticut also has the second longest life expectancy of any
state, at 80.4 years, just 0.2 years behind Washington. Also, just
32.9% of state senior citizens have a disability, compared to
37.9% of all elderly Americans.</p>
<p>It is likely the state’s 65 and older residents are relatively
healthier because of their health habits, including taking
advantage of preventative medicine. Connecticut senior citizens
are more likely than their peers nationwide to get the flu
vaccine, mammograms and colon screening.</p>
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<p><strong>50. West Virginia</strong><br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ w/ disability:</strong> 41.8% (7th highest)<br>
<strong>> Pct. 65+ obese :</strong> 25.9% (15th highest)<br>
<strong>> Flu vaccine in past year, 65+:</strong> 66.4% (18th
lowest)<br>
<strong>> Life expectancy:</strong> 75.4 years (3rd lowest)</p>
<p>Based on a number of measures of health behaviors and outcomes,
West Virginia has the least healthy retirees of any state.
Physically active elderly adults are less likely to experience
frequent physical distress, and in West Virginia, nearly 40% of
state residents 65 and older do not engage in even moderate
physical activity, the highest share of any state in the country.
With low physical activity rates, retirement age adults in the
state report an average of 6.9 physically unhealthy days a month,
far more than the national average of 5.4 days for the age group.</p>
<p>Life expectancy in West Virginia is especially low at 75 years,
roughly three years less than life expectancy nationwide.</p>
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<p><b>Ken</b></p>
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