HEALTH AND FUNCTIONING AMONG THE ELDERLY OF MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA - A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE

Background. The purpose of this study was to obtain information concer ning the health status of the theoretically advantaged elderly populat ion of Marin County, California, and to compare these data with those from other populations with different levels of socioeconomic status. Methods. An age-stratified sample of 2,018 community-dwelling elderly residents of Marin was selected, and these participants were interview ed between 1989 and 1991. Interview items included medical history of life-threatening diseases and chronic conditions, reported and observe d disabilities, and life-style characteristics. Results. While the res idents of Marin had lower mortality rates than the total U.S. populati on, there were few meaningful differences in measures of health and fu nction in comparison to other elderly populations with substantially l ower levels of socioeconomic status. The main exceptions were better m emory performance and lower depressive symptomatology in Marin. Becaus e of the many methodological differences, these comparisons must be vi ewed with caution. Conclusion. The general pattern of findings in this study indicates that while death has been postponed in this socioecon omically advantaged population, the prevalence of disease and disabili ty has not. If true, this implies that residents of an affluent commun ity can spend a longer rather than shorter period of their late life i n a state of infirmity and in need of medical care. This appears to be especially true for women.