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Older Women's HealthAvoiding a Tragedy of Mythic Proportions
Gene D. Cohen, MD, PhD;
Vicky Cahan
Arch Fam Med. 1993;2(4):361-363.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings. |
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ACCORDING TO Greek mythology, the Cumaean, Sibyl, a prophetess of great wisdom, persuaded the gods to grant her very long life. However, tragically, Sibyl failed to ask that prolonged youthfulness accompany the added years. Her fate became one of marked frailty in the face of legendary longevity.
As the gods dealt with Sibyl, so, too, has 20thcentury medicine permitted unparalleled longevity for today's older women. The demographics alone are compelling. Currently, 18.5 million US women are aged 65 years and older, and the number will more than double by the year 2030. The number of women older than 85 years, the "oldest old," is expected to grow even more rapidly. In 40 years, as baby boomers enter their advanced years, at least 5.6 million women will be older than 85 years, compared with 2.6 million men.1 Once they reach age 65 years, women live an average of 18.7 years
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
Author Affiliations
Bethesda, Md
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