Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- The rising cost of prescription medications puts a strain on low-income Seniors
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- Figure 1: Rising cost of medication is a financial burden, by household income and age and income, June 2016
- Health conditions affect Seniors’ daily lives, impacting their level of health
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- Figure 2: General health self-perceptions, June 2016
- Seniors feel younger than they may be portrayed in advertising
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- Figure 3: Feel younger than my age self-perception, June 2016
- The opportunities
- Seniors have a positive outlook on life which results in their investment in health
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- Figure 4: Outlook on life and investment in health self-perceptions, June 2016
- Seniors are exercising and express interest in exercise programs tailored to them
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- Figure 5: Interest in exercise programs, June 2016
- Seniors plan to age in place, will need products and services to make this a reality
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- Figure 6: Aging in place, by age and primary residence, June 2016
- What it means
Seniors – What You Need to Know
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- US Senior population is growing; Senior women outnumber men
- The Senior population has little racial diversity
- Seniors have lower household incomes
- Married Seniors face the prospect of becoming widowed as they age
- General health status declines with age
- Seniors are covered by Medicare, but still likely paying some out-of-pocket costs for healthcare
Seniors by the Numbers
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- Seniors contributing to the most growth in the US population
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- Figure 7: US population, by age, 2011-21
- Senior women outnumber men, particularly as they age
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- Figure 8: US Senior population, by gender and age, 2016
- White Seniors are the clear majority; yet all races experiencing growth
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- Figure 9: US Senior (65+) population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2011-21
- Household incomes of older Seniors skew lower
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- Figure 10: Household income distribution, by age of householder, 2014
- Married Seniors face the prospect of becoming widowed as they age
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- Figure 11: Marital status, by age, 2015
Seniors Health Breakdown
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- General health status declines with age
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- Figure 12: Percentage of US persons who had excellent or very good health, by age, 2015
- Seniors are covered by Medicare; but likely still paying some out-of-pocket costs
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- Figure 13: Percentage of people by type of health insurance coverage, by age, 2014
Senior Segments
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- Three segments of Seniors
- Healthy Futures
- Struggling Optimistics
- Isolated and Unhealthy
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- Figure 14: Senior cluster groups, June 2016
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Seniors are getting the flu vaccine
- Advertisements portray real Seniors
- Expensive prescription drugs and obesity are causes for concern
- Robots the future of care for Seniors
- Multivitamins targeting “real” Seniors – those who are 65+
What’s Working?
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- The majority of Seniors are getting the flu vaccine
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- Figure 15: Percentage of US persons who received an influenza vaccination during the past 12 months, by age, 2015
- Humana puts a spotlight on healthy Seniors
- Seniors are in on the joke
What’s Struggling?
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- The rising cost of prescription drugs puts a strain on Seniors
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- Figure 16: Prescription drug usage in the past 12 months, by age, February 2015-March 2016
- The number of obese Seniors is concerning
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- Figure 17: Percentage of people aged 20 or older who are obese, by gender and age, 2003-14
What’s Next?
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- Can robots provide Seniors with a better quality of life as they age?
- One A Day targets “real” Seniors – those 65+
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Seniors have a positive outlook on life and a sense of control over health
- Life-threatening ailments are most concerning, but to Younger Seniors
- Healthcare information from a doctor draws the most attention
- Easy product packaging and services could make life easier
- Customized exercise programs have some appeal; technology less so
- Seniors take the medication recommendations of their doctor
- Most Seniors plan on aging in place; but few have long-term plans set in place
Self-Perceptions
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- Seniors have a positive outlook on life
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- Figure 18: General self-perceptions, June 2016
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- Figure 19: Any agree (net) select general self-perceptions, by gender and current marital status and age, June 2016
- There’s a sense of control over health, yet Seniors aren’t their healthiest
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- Figure 20: General health self-perceptions, June 2016
- Seniors are investing in their health
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- Figure 21: Activity/weight control perceptions and paying for healthcare products, June 2016
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- Figure 22: Any agree (net) with activity/weight control perceptions and paying for healthcare products, by gender and age and age and income, June 2016
Health Concerns
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- Major health issues are most concerning
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- Figure 23: Health concerns, by any rank, June 2016
- Some health concerns vary by gender
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- Figure 24: Select health concerns, any rank, by gender, June 2016
- Older Seniors most concerned with ailments that impair physical abilities
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- Figure 25: Select health concerns, any rank, by age, June 2016
- In their words
Communication of Healthcare
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- Seniors rely on professionals for healthcare information
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- Figure 26: Communication about healthcare, June 2016
- Friends/family, TV commercials and funny ads draw the attention of young Senior women
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- Figure 27: Select healthcare communication sources, by gender and age, June 2016
- Non-White Seniors more drawn to ads that look like them
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- Figure 28: Advertisement that features someone like me, by race, June 2016
- Seniors gather health information from their doctor, far less online
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- Figure 29: Where health information is gathered, by age, February 2015-March 2016
Interest in Healthcare Products and Services
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- Ease-of-use features are important
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- Figure 30: Interest in packaging and product features, June 2016
- Customized exercise programs have some appeal
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- Figure 31: Interest in exercise programs, June 2016
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- Figure 32: Any interest in exercise programs, by gender and age, June 2016
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- Figure 33: Any interest in exercise program designed for specific ailments, by custom clusters, June 2016
- Services made available to Seniors appeal to some
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- Figure 34: Interest in healthcare services, June 2016
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- Figure 35: Any interest in services to take to appointments, by area, household income, and custom clusters, June 2016
- Online cognitive games appeal mostly to women
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- Figure 36: Interest in online games to improve cognition, June 2016
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- Figure 37: Any interest in online games to improve cognition, by gender and age and income, June 2016
- Seniors aren’t too keen on technology to manage their health
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- Figure 38: Interest in wearable health-tracking devices, June 2016
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- Figure 39: Use mobile app or website to track calories and/or exercise, by age, February 2015-March 2016
Attitudes toward Medications
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- Seniors follow the medication advice of their doctor
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- Figure 40: Attitudes toward medications, June 2016
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- Figure 41: Agreement medication has made life better, by age, February 2015-March 2016
- Men inclined to take whatever prescribed; women avoid unless necessary
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- Figure 42: Attitudes toward taking prescribed medications, avoiding medications and researching prescriptions, by gender and age, June 2016
- Lower-income households concerned most by rising cost of drugs
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- Figure 43: Rising cost of medication is a financial burden, by household income and age and income, June 2016
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- Figure 44: Rising cost of medication is a financial burden, by custom clusters, June 2016
Attitudes toward Healthcare
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- The majority of Seniors plan on aging in place
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- Figure 45: Aging in place, nursing home and future healthcare options, by age and primary residence, June 2016
- Costs of long-term healthcare most concerning among lower-income households
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- Figure 46: Concern with paying for long-term healthcare, by household income, June 2016
- Only a few Seniors have a future plan if they can’t care for themselves
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- Figure 47: Concern about paying for long-term healthcare, by age and household income and race, June 2016
- Healthy Futures have a plan, Isolated and Unhealthy Seniors are less prepared
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- Figure 48: Healthcare plans, by custom clusters, June 2016
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – Consumer
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- Figure 49: Perceptions of medications, by household income, February 2015-March 2016
- Additional Qualitative Data
- Nutritional changes and habits
- Relationship with medical provider
- Participation in online communities
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