Over 65: 3 in 10 have a frailty or disability, one in 4 a sensory problem
Socio-economic disadvantage weighs heavily and over 90 per cent of care and assistance is borne by family members: elderly people have difficulties with vision, hearing and chewing
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Key points
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In Italy 3 out of 10 over 65s have a frailty or disability, one out of 4 has a sensory problem (between sight, hearing or chewing) that they cannot solve even with the use of aids such as glasses, hearing aids or dentures.
Disability affects 14 out of 100 older people
.From the picture for the two-year period 2023-2024 outlined by the Silver Steps surveillance, coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, it emerges that the condition of disability, i.e. the loss of autonomy in carrying out even just one of the six fundamental activities of daily life (eating, dressing, washing, moving from one room to another, being continual, using services to do one's needs) It affects 14 out of 100 people. Disability increases with age, particularly after the age of 85, affecting 4 out of 10 elderly people (42%); it is on average more frequent among women (17% vs. 10% men), among people who are socio-economically disadvantaged due to economic difficulties (31% among those who have many economic difficulties vs. 9% among those who do not report any) or due to low education (26% vs. 7% among those with a high level of education).
The burden of care and assistance is borne by families
.Almost all people with disabilities (99%) receive help, but this burden of care and assistance is mostly borne by their families, much less by the public service of Asl and municipalities. Ninety-five per cent of people with disabilities state that they receive help from their families for activities of daily living for which they are not autonomous, 37% receive help from carers and 12% from acquaintances. 12% received help at home from social workers and only 2% received assistance at a day centre. A small share is supported by voluntary associations (2%). Approximately 1 in 4 people with disabilities receive financial support for this condition (such as an accompaniment allowance).
The picture of frail persons
.According to Silver Steps data, the 14 out of every 100 disabled people are joined by about 16 out of every 100 people over the age of 65 with frailty. Frailty is a condition without significant differences between men and women, but one that grows progressively with age, affecting 8% of 65-74 year olds and reaching 31% among the over 85s; it is also associated with socio-economic disadvantage, rising to 24% among people with many economic difficulties (vs. 14% among those who do not report any) and 24% among those with low education (vs. 12% among those with a high level of education). Again, almost all people with frailty (98%) receive help to perform the functions of daily life activities for which they are not independent.
Sight, hearing and chewing problems
.The 2023-2024 data confirm what has emerged in previous Iss surveys: about 1 out of 4 people over 65 has at least one sensory problem between sight, hearing or chewing. Approximately 9% of respondents aged 65 and over report having sight problems (which cannot be corrected even with the use of glasses) that affect the performance of daily activities, 13% have a hearing problem (not resolved or not resolvable with the use of a hearing aid) and 11% say they have chewing problems and cannot eat difficult foods (a difficulty not resolved or not resolvable with the use of dentures). All problems that increase with advancing age.
