Disability Services

According to a recent National Institute of Health fact sheet,"research demonstrates that disease and disability are not an inevitable part of aging. Disability rates can be reduced, as evidenced by data from the National Long Term Care Survey, which found that between 1982 and 1999, the prevalence of physical disability in older Americans decreased from 26 percent to 20 percent. The downward trend in disability may be in danger of reversal as obesity threatens the gains that have occurred. According to the National Health Interview Survey, the disability rate among people ages 18 to 59 rose significantly from the 1980s through the 1990s, with the growing prevalence of obesity an important factor in this trend. Obesity and overweight put people at increased risk for potentially disabling chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, and some forms of cancer."