Americans are becoming optimistic about aging

Pfizer launched a new online community to gather information about people's attitudes and unmet needs in the context of aging. The website connects people to an ongoing conversation while informing healthcare marketing, research and development for solutions in this community.

About 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, according to Pfizer. Furthermore, most of them expect to live to be 90. In order to gauge people's needs and thoughts on aging, the pharmaceutical company launched the Get Old initiative. A central part of the campaign is the new internet community, GetOld.com.

The website will help Pfizer address the dynamic attitudes that Americans have toward aging, as evidenced by a recent survey they conducted among 1,000 individuals who were 18 and older.

Results showed that 41 percent of study participants felt optimistic about growing old, making it the most popular attitude toward aging, beating out feelings of uneasiness, anger or preparedness.

There are several reasons why people may look forward to aging. The proportions of survey respondents who cited good health, wisdom and a greater appreciation for loved ones were 74 percent, 72 percent and 72 percent, respectively.

While 64 percent of individuals older than 65 said they were afraid of losing their independence, living with pain or developing physical limitations, 7 percent reported a fear of dying. Within this same population, only one-fourth said they were willing to live with a younger relative if they could not care for themselves.

"At every age and stage of our lives, we can make choices and take actions that will help us live longer and better. There are so many positive role models today who are changing how people think about aging," said Freda Lewis-Hall, Pfizer's chief medical officer. "There's a huge opportunity to support the shift that's underway."

Lewis-Hall added that GetOld.com provides an opportunity to create dialog centered on what people need in order to age in a healthy manner.



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