Aging in Hingham - Town of Hingham Massachusetts

Health and Medical StatusMore than half of Hingham’s Boomers enjoy excellent health, as do nearly one-third of the Seniors(see Figure 15). When asked to rate their overall health on a four-point scale, ranging from poorto excellent, 63% of the Boomers and 30% of the Seniors report "excellent" and an additional 35%of Boomers and 56% of Seniors respond "good." Although just 2% of Boomers report their healthas "fair" or "poor," a larger share (14%) of Seniors evaluate their health as less than good. Thispattern is consistent with an increasing risk of chronic and disabling conditions experienced byindividuals in later life. Among those aged 80 and older, 18% report their health as fair or poor(see Appendix B). With respect to feeling "sad, depressed, or 'down in the dumps'," Boomers andSeniors are quite similar (see Figure 16). Seventy percent of Boomers and 73% of Seniors reportthat they "never" or "rarely" feel depressed, while 4-6% of each group report feeling this way"often" or "always."Figure 15: Self-rated health status, by age cohortSeniors30%56% 13%ExcellentGoodFairPoorBoomers63%35%0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%Source: Town of Hingham Department of Elder Services Survey of Residents Age 45 & Over, 201231