Only 1 in 5 people over 85 plan for their future, study finds
A Nordic study of the oldest populations reveals that future planning nearly disappears after age 85, with just 18.6% maintaining concrete plans ahead. The finding challenges assumptions about aging and has implications for healthcare systems, retirement planning industries, and policy on elder autonomy and quality of life.
Originaltitel: Having Plans for the Future in Very Old People
<p>This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of having plans for the future among very old people and the factors associated with having such plans. A longitudinal population-based study with home visits for 85-, 90-, and >= 95-year-old participants in Sweden and Finland was used. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional-hazards regression models with a maximum 5-year follow-up period were used. The prevalence of having plans for the future was 18.6% (174/936). More men than women and more people living in Sweden than in Finland had plans for the future. In multivariate models, having plans for the future was associated with speaking Swedish, being dentate, and living in the community in the total sample; speaking Swedish and being dentate among women; and speaking Swedish, having a lower Geriatric Depression Scale score, and urban residence among men. Having plans for the future was associated univariately, but not multivariately, with increased survival.</p>