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Dec. 1, 2006 -- Aging well, even with more than 80 candles on your birthday cake, may be more likely than you think.
At least that's what a new Gallup poll about Americans 80 and older suggests.
Polling included 1,000 adults age 18 and older, and was conducted by telephone between August and October.
Responses from those with relatives 80 and older show that nearly half (47%) of those elders were in excellent or good physical and mental healthmental health.
The poll comes when America's life expectancy is at an all-time high: nearly 78 years, according to the CDC.
The 85-and-older group is expected to double from nearly 5 million in 2003 to almost 10 million in 2030 as baby boomers age, states a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau report.
So what will your 80s and 90s be like?
That depends on many factors, including your genes, lifestyle, and circumstances.
But the Gallup poll shows that many of today's elders are healthy and independent.
One-third of the 1,000 polled said they had relatives at least 80 years old. Most of these elderly relatives were grandmothers of those being polled.
Participants rated their elders' physical and mental health -- and nearly half were good or excellent.
The poll also shows that many elders -- 41% -- can walk on their own without difficulty, and that more than two-thirds live in their own home.
Elders in their 90s were more likely to have lower physical and mental health ratings, trouble with walking, and to live with a relative or in a nursing home or other facility.
Of course, it's possible participants did not have all the facts about their relatives' health, Gallup notes.
SOURCES: Gallup Poll News Service. CDC: "Life Expectancy." U.S. Census Bureau: "65+ in the United States: 2005."