The boom in frailty among the elderly

One in two elderly people over the age of 85 lives completely alone. It is one of the most important data of Relationship Census “Aging in the Italy of longevity. How to build a country suitable for the elderly”, presented in Rome. 36.6% of Italians aged 65 and over declares that he needs help in daily life: twenty years ago the share was stable at 18.3%. It doubled. The picture affects millions of people. Today, 31.7% need support from time to time, while 4.9% need it often. Only 62.0% of those interviewed declared themselves totally self-sufficient, compared to 78.8% in 2006: almost 17 percentage points less in two decades.

For 89.6% of long-lived people physical decline cannot be stoppedno matter how much you take care of yourself. 79.3% were resigned to the fact that some age-related changes are irreversible. A new awareness of fragility is growing, different from the rhetoric of active longevity and performance in old age: for 79.8% of long-lived people, accepting old age as a permanent condition helps to give more value to the present.

Italy is the oldest in Europe

People aged 65 or over are today the 25,1% of the Italian population, the highest share in the European Union. Between 1951 and 2025, minors up to 17 years of age decreased by 38.8%, young people between 18 and 34 years old by 18.9%. In the same period, the 35-64 age group grew by 53.7% and that of the over 65s by 248.6%. Censis projections to 2050 indicate beyond 18.9 million of elderly people, 34.6% of the population: more than one Italian in three.

For the current over 65s, old age begins on average at 76.7 years. 41.0% of those interviewed place it between 70 and 75 years of age, over 43% after 80. But for 69.4% of long-lived people the real watershed is not chronological age: it is the loss of self-sufficiency. This is followed by the death of friends and peers (24.9%), the death of a spouse (22.3%), retirement (8.0%) and becoming grandparents (4.2%). Among the elderly, the most widespread fear is dependence on others: 82.8% of those interviewed fear it. Death concerns a significantly lower share33.5%. Only 16.5% would like to live to 120 years. For long-lived people, the quality of life is more important than its duration, and above all preserving autonomy.

The family remains the first barrier

In case of need, 52.7% of elderly people rely on their children, 49.6% on spouses and cohabitants, 16.0% on other relatives. Only 1.9% rely on nurses or home assistants from public facilities. 7.8% have no one to count on. 62.3% of elderly people feel lonely, 8.9% always or often. Only 29.5% of the over 65s live fully, a share that rises to 37.0% after the age of 75 and reaches 49.9% after the age of 85: one elderly person in two.