Over 65: 3 out of 10 have a frailty or disability, one out of 4 has a sensory problem

In Italy, 3 out of 10 people over 65 have a frailty or disability, one out of 4 has a sensory problem (including sight, hearing or chewing) that cannot be resolved even with the use of aids, such as glasses, hearing aids or dentures.

From the picture for the two-year period 2023-2024 outlined by the Passi d'Argento 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 continent, using the toilet to relieve oneself), involves 14 people out of 100. Disability increases with age, in particular after the age of 85 it affects 4 out of 10 elderly people (42%); it is on average more frequent among women (17% vs 10% men), among socio-economically disadvantaged people due to economic difficulties (31% among those with many economic difficulties vs 9% among those who do not report them) or low education (26% vs 7% among those with a high level of education).

Almost all people with disabilities (99%) receive help, but this burden of care and assistance is mostly supported by families, much less by the public service of Local Health Authorities and Municipalities. 95% of people with disabilities declare that they receive help from their family members for daily activities for which they are not independent, 37% that they are helped by carers and 12% by acquaintances. 12% received help at home from social and health workers and only 2% received assistance at a day center. A small share is supported by voluntary associations (2%). About one in 4 people with disabilities receives a financial contribution for this condition (such as the attendance allowance).

According to data from Passi d'Argento, to the 14 disabled people out of 100, there are approximately 16 people with frailty out of 100, always over the age of 65. Frailty is a condition with no significant differences between men and women, but which progressively increases 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 it) and to 24% among people with low education (vs 12% among those with a high level of education). Also in this case, almost all people with frailty (98%) receive help to carry out the functions of daily living activities for which they are not autonomous.

The 2023-2024 data confirm what emerged in previous ISS surveys: approximately 1 in 4 people over 65 have at least one sensory problem involving sight, hearing or chewing. Approximately 9% of those interviewed over 65 report having vision problems (not correctable even with the use of glasses) that affect their daily activities, 13% have a hearing problem (not resolved or not resolvable with the use of a hearing aid) and 11% declare having chewing problems and cannot eat difficult foods (a difficulty not resolved or not resolvable with the use of dentures). All problems that increase with age.