Clinical Care

The number of geriatric clinicians per 100,000 adults age 65 and older rose 5% nationally.

Geriatricians, or geriatric doctors and nurses, are medical practitioners trained to meet the unique needs of older adults. Special geriatric unit care and rehabilitative services involving a geriatrician have been shown to improve patient outcomes

and lead to better functioning.⁴⁷ In primary care settings, geriatricians provide better medication management than other clinicians and are better suited to treat aging-related diseases such as

dementia, incontinence and osteoporosis.⁴⁸ As the baby boomer generation

reaches older adulthood and average lifespans grow longer, the demand for geriatricians

is increasing more quickly than the supply.^1,49

Flu vaccination rates fell among older adults between 2022 and 2023, with significant differences between populations.

Immune defense systems weaken with age, putting older adults at increased risk

of developing serious health complications

from influenza (the seasonal flu).^50,51 The rate of flu-related deaths is highest among older adults

.⁵² About 50%-70% of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations and 70%-85% of seasonal flu-related deaths occur among those age 65 and older

.⁵⁰ The influenza vaccine helps protect

against the flu, lowering the risk of infection and lessening the severity of symptoms in those who get sick.⁵³

Changes over time. Nationally, the percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported receiving a seasonal flu vaccine in the past 12 months decreased 6% from 67.7% to 63.4% between 2022 and 2023. Flu vaccinations among older adults remain below the Healthy People 2030 target to increase the proportion of people who get the annual flu vaccine to 70.0%

.⁵⁴

• 13% among LGBQ+ older adults (70.4% to 61.4%) and 8% among straight older adults (69.9% to 64.6%).
• 11% among those who have difficulty with self-care (65.3% to 58.0%), 8% among those with independent living difficulty (66.4% to 61.0%), 8% among those who have difficulty with cognition (64.9% to 59.4%), 7% among those who have difficulty with mobility (67.4% to 62.6%), 6% among those with difficulty hearing (68.8% to 64.5%) and 5% among those without a disability (67.8% to 64.2%).
• 10% among those with less than a high school education (58.4% to 52.6%), 9% among those with some post-high school education (67.7% to 61.9%), 8% among high school graduates (64.2% to 58.9%) and 3% among college graduates (74.9% to 72.7%).
• 9% among those with an annual household income of $25,000-$49,999 (66.3% to 60.6%), 8% among those with incomes less than $25,000 (57.5% to 52.8%), 5% among those with incomes of $50,000-$74,999 (70.9% to 67.1%) and 5% among those with incomes of $75,000 or more (75.2% to 71.6%).
• 9% among those living in nonmetropolitan areas (64.1% to 58.1%) and 6% among those in metropolitan areas (68.8% to 64.5%).
• 7% among those who have not served in the U.S. armed forces (67.1% to 62.5%) and 5% among those who have served (70.8% to 67.4%).
• 7% among women (68.3% to 63.2%) and 5% among men (67.1% to 63.5%).

• 1.4 times higher in Massachusetts (73.7%) than in Idaho (52.3%).
• 1.4 times higher among Asian (65.9%) than American Indian/Alaska Native (46.2%) older adults.
• 1.4 times higher among college graduates (72.7%) than those with less than a high school education (52.6%).
• 1.4 times higher among those with an annual household income of $75,000 or more (71.6%) compared with those who have incomes less than $25,000 (52.8%).

Related Measure: RSV Vaccination
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus

that causes cold-like symptoms and can lead to pneumonia

and worsen underlying conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure.^55,56 While RSV tends to be mild for healthy adults and children, older adults

are more likely to develop severe illness and require hospitalization.⁵⁵ Every year in the U.S., an estimated 100,000-150,000 adults age 60 and older are hospitalized

for RSV.⁵⁶ In 2024, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices released updated recommendations

that everyone age 75 and older, as well as adults ages 60–74 who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease, should receive the RSV vaccine.⁵⁷

More older adults reported having a dedicated provider.

Individuals with a dedicated health care provider

are better positioned to receive care that can prevent, detect and manage disease and other health conditions.⁵⁸ A regular health care provider helps patient and provider build a stable, long-term relationship with several benefits

, including lower health care costs and better overall health status.⁵⁹

Changes over time. Nationally, the percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported having a personal doctor or health care provider increased 1% from 94.8% to 95.9% between 2022 and 2023. This prevalence exceeds the Healthy People 2030 target to increase the proportion of people of all ages with a usual primary care provider to 84.0%

.⁶⁰

• 2% among men (93.8% to 95.3%).
• 2% among those who have served in the U.S. armed forces (94.9% to 96.4%) and 1% among those who have not served (94.8% to 95.8%).
• 1% among both high school graduates (94.5% to 95.8%) and college graduates (96.4% to 97.1%).
• 1% among those living in metropolitan areas (94.9% to 96.0%) and those in nonmetropolitan areas (94.1% to 95.3%).
• 1% among those without a disability (95.0% to 96.0%).
• 1% among straight older adults (95.7% to 96.3%).

• Black (97.0%) compared with Hispanic (91.1%) older adults.
• College graduates (97.1%) compared with those with less than a high school education (91.2%).
• Those with an annual household income of $75,000 or more (97.4%) compared with those with incomes less than $25,000 (93.4%).
• Women (96.4%) compared with men (95.3%).

The population of adults age 65 and older in the United States is expected to increase

from 57.8 million to 88.8 million between 2022 and 2060, driving up the demand for home health and caregiving services.⁶¹ Despite this, there is a shortage

of direct care workers, in part due to low pay.⁶² In 2022, direct care workers had a median annual income of $25,015

, leaving more than one-third of the workforce in or near poverty.⁶¹