NHATS & NSOC
@nhats-nsoc
The National Health & Aging Trends Study conducts annual in-person interviews with a nationally representative sample of US Medicare beneficiaries, & the National Study of Caregivers periodically gathers data on their family and unpaid carers. nhats.org
Caregivers are less often needed now than in 2011 for tasks like scheduling appointments, handling bills, or ordering prescriptions, thanks to technology allowing older adults to do more of these tasks themselves online. Want to know more? Visit nhats.org/findings
The digital lives of older adults are transforming. Email and texting use more than doubled–from 30% to 73%--since 2011, including one-third of those 90+. See more trends at nhats.org/findings
A growing number of caregivers is providing fewer hours of assistance per week, with an increase of 5 percentage pts in those providing up to 10 hours of care per week and a decrease in the number of caregivers providing assistance for 11 to 29 hours per week. Dig into the data at nhats.org/findings
Older adults have bounced back after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a return to pre-2020 levels of participation in valued activities after a 13 percentage point decrease. Find out more on resilience in aging at nhats.org/findings
More older adults are being cared for by friends and neighbors rather than family. The share of non-kin caregivers rose from 9% to 12% since 2011, reflecting changes in the traditional care structure. See the full picture at nhats.org/findings
End-of-life care has expanded: hospice use in the last month of life rose from 48% to 61% between 2013 and 2022. Satisfaction with that care, however, has declined since 2020. What’s behind the gap? Dig into the data at nhats.org/findings
The family caregiver population is aging. The share under 55 dropped by 10 percentage points since 2011, while the share of caregivers 65 and older has grown. Who provides care is shifting, and the data tell the story. Discover more family caregiver trends at nhats.org/findings
More older adults are aging at home. 85% now live in private homes or apartments, up from 81% in 2011, while nursing home residency has been cut in half. Explore housing trends and more at nhats.org/findings
About 1 in 4 caregivers reports moderate or high strain, a figure that hasn’t budged in over a decade. Understanding caregiver wellbeing is central to NSOC. Take a look at the trends at nhats.org/findings
Vision loss among older adults has declined slightly, from 11% in 2011 to 10% in 2023, a small but meaningful shift. See what the latest NHATS data reveal at nhats.org/findings
📢 New data from NHATS/NSOC! Longitudinal NSOC files (Rounds 12 & 13) + new methodological files incl. seasonality weights & expanded cross-sectional files are now available, w/ updated and new documentation. Sensitive files — brief application required: nhats.org/data-access/sensitive-data-files
The frequency and intensity of caregiving has held steady: 11% of family caregivers provide 40 or more hours of care per week, and more than a third have been doing so for more than 5 years. NSOC tracks the full scope of the caregiving commitment. See the insights at nhats.org/findings
95% of family caregivers help with household tasks, 79% assist with medical care, and 70% help with mobility. Caregiving covers a lot of ground, and NSOC data maps it all. Explore at nhats.org/findings
Older adults are moving better than ever. The share with poor physical capacity–difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or lifting–fell from 26% to 21% over the past decade. Discover what the data show at nhats.org/findings
Most family caregivers live close by. About 45% live with the older adult they assist, and another 25% are within 10 minutes. Proximity is a defining feature of family caregiving. Learn more at nhats.org/findings
Encouraging news: the share of older adults living with dementia has dropped significantly–from 14% to 8% between 2011 and 2022. Dig into more insights at nhats.org/findings
About 1 in 7 family caregivers is also raising a child under age 18, juggling care for two generations at once. According to NSOC data, this “sandwich caregiver” estimate has been stable between 2011 and 2022. Learn more at nhats.org/findings
More adults are struggling with laundry, groceries, and other household tasks, and fewer are getting help, with 5% more older adults reporting unmet need for help. NHATS data reveal a growing gap between need and support. Explore the trends at nhats.org/findings