Orange County NC Website
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2012-2017 Orange County Master Aging Plan <br />Health <br />According to the Behavioral Risk Factor <br />Surveillance System (BRFSS), older adults in <br />Orange County ages 45+ are relatively <br />healthy overall. In 2010, 85.6% of 209 adults <br />age 45+ in Orange County reported their <br />health status to be Excellent, Very Good, or <br />Good.~~ Nonetheless, 32.3% of older adults age <br />65+ in Orange County live with a disability.18 <br />Therefore, knowing that adults are living longer, <br />Orange County must still take preventive <br />measures to support residents' health over time. <br />To this end, we can work towards the <br />compression of morbidity, or the delay in the <br />onset of poor health outcomes and the <br />lengthening of good health into old age.19 <br />The top 5 leading causes of <br />death for older adults age 65+ <br />in Orange County are20: <br />Caregivers are an essential part of the <br />discussion of the health of older adults. Data <br />on the number of caregivers for older adults is <br />unavailable at the county level, but state figures <br />can offer some perspective on the need to <br />support this group of providers. Though <br />Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia <br />are not the only reasons that older adults <br />receive assistance from caregivers, <br />approximately one third of North Carolina <br />caregivers in 2009 reported Alzheimer's and <br />dementia as the primary health issues of their <br />care recipient.2 That year, there were over <br />350,000 caregivers for people with Alzheimer's <br />disease or dementia in North Carolina.2-3 The <br />number of people with Alzheimer's disease is <br />expected to increase by 23.5% between 2010 <br />and 2025 in North Carolina, suggesting that <br />there will be an increased need for caregiving <br />services as well.2-3 Knowing that caregiving itself <br />can affect the mental and physical health of the <br />caregiver who, in the US, is typically 49 years <br />old him/herself, confirms the importance of <br />providing support and preventive health services <br />to this population.21 <br />1. Cancer <br />2. Heart Disease <br />3. Cerebrovascular Diseases <br />4. Chronic Lower Respiratory <br />Diseases <br />5. Alzheimer's Disease <br />This list mirrors that of the state <br />of North Carolina, though at the <br />state level heart disease ranks <br />first and cancer is second.3 <br />Summary <br />The description of Orange County's older adult <br />population provided here offers a context within <br />which to understand our proposed goals, <br />objectives, and strategies. Additionally, these <br />data influenced the work groups and guided <br />discussions in a variety of ways, both directly <br />and indirectly. As the OCDOA works over the <br />next five years to implement the following <br />recommendations, we will continue to consider <br />the intersecting identities of the older adults that <br />we serve. <br />15 <br />