Low COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Chops Two Years Off Life Expectancy Rate in The U.S.

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In 2020, most countries posted a huge decline in life expectancy as COVID-19 boomed.  Many countries have shown signs of recovery, but not in the U.S. according to a study published in Nature Human Behavior.  Researchers said seven nations in Western Europe showed a significant increase in life expectancy in 2021.  However, the U.S. reported the third-largest decline in life expectancy, closely behind Bulgaria and Slovakia.  More than two years have been cut off the average life expectancy between 2019 and 2021 in the U.S., when it fell from 78.86 years in 2019 to 76.60 years in 2021.  The study attributed much of the decline in the U.S. to an extremely low vaccination rate compared with Western Europe.

Tips On When To Take Social Security

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If you are thinking about taking early retirement, think again.  With the stock market in a funk and inflation soaring, this is a painful time for everyone but especially those who are living on a fixed income.  When thinking about retirement, don’t look at the average life expectancy as the most probable outcome.  This is an average, and many people live much longer.  Sharon Carson, executive director of retirement insights for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, told USA Today that you should plan for 35 years of retirement if you are a non-smoker in excellent health.  She also says that the lower your expected long-term investment return (which is typical as you get older), the more it pays to wait longer before claiming Social Security.  So, for instance, a woman who expects a long-term investment return of 5.5% and has a life expectancy of 88 should consider claiming at age 70.

Average Life Expectancy Falls Again

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The average life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for the second year in a row, as COVID-19 deaths and drug overdoses pulled the average life expectancy down by almost a year to 76.1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The drop was smaller than the 1.8 year decline that we saw in 2020, but it’s still disturbing.  Deaths attributed to flu, pneumonia and Alzheimer’s disease declined in 2021.  The combined figures for the last two years are the biggest drop in life expectancy since the 1920’s.

American Longevity Trend Not Holding With COVID-19

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The trend of Americans living longer and longer was broken last year, thanks in large part to deaths from COVID-19, although not helping was the increase in drug overdoses, growth in deaths from heart disease, diabetes and homicide.  The average life expectancy dropped 1.8 years to 77 years in 2020, well above analyst estimates.  “I knew there was going to be a decline, but I didn’t expect it to be this large,†CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and author of the report Elizabeth Arias, told The Wall Street Journal.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/life-expectancy-in-u-s-declined-1-8-years-in-2020-cdc-says-11640149261

Is It Too Late To Buy Life Insurance?

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Many seniors believe that they are at an age at which they have passed life insurance eligibility.  Although most major life insurance policies require health underwriting (many smaller policies do not) and they won’t automatically deem you ineligible for insurance if you have pre-existing conditions, but you will pay more.  For instance, a 70-year-old male in excellent health would pay an average of $3,295 with a $100K death benefit, while an applicant with a condition like controlled diabetes might pay about $5,449 per year.  Before applying, experts recommend that you proactively manage your health.  For example, if you have high cholesterol, bring it down through medication and diet.  You can even pay to have a blood test run prior to applying to make sure your medical condition is under control (Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, August 2021, P8).

Life Expectancy Expectations Take Another Dive : By Derek Baine

An older woman holding a pink string in her hand.


Recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics showed that the average life expectancy dropped a full year in the first half of 2020, from 78.8 years in the first half of 2019 to 77.8 years in the first half of 2020.  The average life expectancy for a Black person dropped by 2.7 years from 74.7 years in the first half of 2019 to just 72.0 years in the first six months of 2020.  Some of the reduction is due to COVID-19 but researchers say drug overdoses have taken their toll on the average life expectancy (AARP Bulletin April 2021, page 4).

Monterey, CA End Of Life Planning Must Be Addressed In This Pandemic : By Derek Baine


At Family inHome Caregiving, we always encourage our clients to have a nutritional diet, get enough exercise and do estate planning like setting up a living trust, signing a POLST and power of attorneys for both medical and financial.  However, getting exercise in this coronavirus environment is difficult and you would be surprised how many people have not set up end-of-life paperwork.  Kate De Bartolo, director of the Conversation Project, believes that end-of-life-care planning is something that more and more Americans will embrace dearly in light of the pandemic, even younger people.  Traffic and downloads of end-of-life planning material have surged this year, she noted.  One thing that has been highlighted in the pandemic has been that many people may change their mind about asking for all available life saving methods in their POLST and medical power of attorney.  Given that COVID-19 victims are isolated and can’t see their family and friends before they pass away may make living pointless under those lockdown conditions.

https://www.facebook.com/TheConversationProject/posts/end-of-life-care-planning-is-something-many-put-off-says-kate-debartolo-director/3651234638270719/

Click on the link below to find more a bout end-of-life planning from Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) and Aspire Health Care.

https://www.aspirehealthplan.org/2020/07/29/getting-started-advance-care-planning/

Senior News : Average American Life Expectancy Dropped By An Entire Year

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The pandemic cut the U.S. life expectancy by a full year in the first half of 2020, reflecting the toll taken by COVID-19 as well as a rise in deaths from drug overdoses, heart attacks and diseases and side-effects caused by the coronavirus.  The last time there was a drop this dramatic was during World War II.  It’s a huge step backwards.  Americans now have the same life expectancy as they did in 2006, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Black and Latinos were hit the hardest, with 2.7 years shaved off of the life expectancy of Black Americans, 1.9 years off of Latino Americans and 0.8 years off of White Americas.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/life-expectancy-covid-us/2021/02/17/ae9b71fe-713c-11eb-93be-c10813e358a2_story.html

 

Monterey Hospice Tree Of Life Ceremony To Be Broadcast Online This Year On December 11

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The Hospice Giving Foundation will hold its annual Tree of Life lighting this year online on December 11 at 5:00 p.m.  It’s sad that the event can’t be held live, but we are all coping with ways to deal with this awful coronavirus pandemic.  In addition to being broadcast at www.hospicegiving.org, you can watch it on Comcast’s local AMP Media channel 24.  It will feature jazz vocalist Julie Capili, accompanied by local musician Dennis Murphy, and will also feature an invocation by Reverend Luke Ham of Church of the Wayfarer.  To register, go to www.hospicegiving.org/treeoflife.