Older adults in some countries start losing their independence a decade earlier than others
A new study comparing health data from Brazil and Europe reveals that Brazilians begin to lose their independence in daily tasks about a decade earlier than their European counterparts. Researchers found that while Europeans typically maintain functional independence into their 70s, Brazilians often face challenges in their 60s.
Why it matters
This research highlights significant global disparities in aging and the potential strain on healthcare systems and families in developing nations.
Older adults in Brazil begin struggling with everyday tasks about ten years before Europeans of the same age.
Paying the bills, keeping track of the pills and getting to the store are what independent living comes down to. In every country, those jobs get harder with age. But the actual age this begins to become a problem isn’t the same everywhere.
Comparing more than 30,000 adults over 50, researchers found that Brazilians started having trouble with those tasks in their 60s, while Europeans mostly managed into their 70s. That decade can mean families and health systems have to step in earlier.
Vinicius Rosa Oliveira of the University of Vic in Spain led the analysis, with colleagues at Universidade Nove de Julho in São Paulo. Asked in an interview with Earth.com what a decade of difference looks like day to day, he put an age on it.
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