Demographic Profile of Senior in Wayne County, Michigan

Disability Status
The 2000 Census included “disability questions” that were asked in the following
manner:
16. Does this person have any of the following long-lasting conditions:
a. Blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment?
b. A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing
stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying? Yes No
17. Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more, does this person
have any difficulty in doing any of the following activities:
a. Learning, remembering, or concentrating? Yes No
b. Dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home? Yes No
c. (Answer if this person is 16 years old or over.) Going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor’s
office? Yes No
d. (Answer if this person is 16 years old or over.) Working at a job or business? Yes No
Table 15 provides data on the total number of yes responses gathered from persons 65
years of age and over in Wayne County. Table 16 allows for the isolation of persons
reporting single and multiple disabilities.
Table 15. Disability Status of the Population 65+ in Wayne County, 2000
Region
Total disabilities
tallied
Sensory Physical Mental Self-care
Gooutsidehome
Wayne County 227,518 14.6 34.2 12.7 12.4 26.1
1-A 120,309 13.0 33.9 12.9 13.6 26.5
1-C 107,209 16.4 34.5 12.3 11.0 25.7
The “picture” of reported disabilities was quite similar between regions in Wayne
County. The only differences were that the elderly in Region 1-C reported having
sensory disabilities at a slightly higher rate, while Region 1-A residents reported self-care
disabilities at a higher rate.
Table 16. Detailed Disability Status of the Population 65+ in Wayne County, 2000
No
Disability
*
Persons Reporting One Disability
Total*
Go-
Physical** outside-
home**
Persons Reporting 2 or More Disabilities
Total* Includes
Selfcare**
Does not include
Self-care**
Wayne County 53.1 21.8 48.3 30.9 25.1 45.6 54.4
1-A 47.8 22.6 48.4 34.1 29.6 48.6 51.4
1-C 57.6 21.0 48.1 27.9 21.3 42.2 57.8
* Percent of all Seniors (65+) within the designated geographic area.
** Percent of Seniors (65+) within specific disability category (one disability; two or more disabilities)
Demographic Summary for Wayne County 11