PRB Discuss Online: "Why Population Aging Matters"
People are living longer and, in some parts of the world, healthier lives. By 2030, 1 billion people will be ages 65 and older. While this is a major achievement of the last century, significant challenges now confront us. Societal aging may affect economic growth, family sustainability, and international relations. Dr. Richard Suzman, director of the behavioral and social research program at the U.S. National Institute on Aging, led a PRB Discuss Online on the impact of population aging on the global community, and the findings of the NIA's report, "Why Population Aging Matters." Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (July 2007)

Cognitive Aging: Imaging, Emotion, and Memory (PDF: 73KB)
This e-newsletter is the fifth in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Cognitive Aging: Imaging, Emotion, and Memory," highlights National Institute on Aging-funded research that examines several aspects of cognitive function in older adults, particularly ways in which they think differently and what can be done to enhance cognition or strengthen their thought processes. (July 2007)

New Research Findings May Help Older People Make Better Decisions
The increasing size and longevity of the elderly population means that older people’s decisions on health care, risky investments, and other choices will become increasingly important to individuals and society. That is prompting researchers to take a new look at how older people make decisions. (June 2007)

The Brain Changes as it Ages, Sometimes in Surprising Ways
Researchers are producing an increasingly complex and nuanced portrait of the aging brain, a topic of keen interest as the number and share of elderly people grows rapidly in the United States and around the world. Research indicates that various mental skills decline at different rates as people age, and that trajectories of decline differ among people. Neuroimaging enables researchers to match changes in the brain’s physical structure to changes in mental performance over time. Other recent work shows that people without dementia can improve their brain function or slow its decline somewhat. (June 2007)

Population Aging Impact Differs Across Countries
The aging of the planet's population will play out differently in well-off developed nations and less-affluent developing ones. In developed countries, the increasing number of elderly people will be the trend to watch. In developing ones, though, there could be an important impact from a growing working-age population. (June 2007)

Global Health and Population Aging (PDF: 67KB)
This e-newsletter is the fourth in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Global Health and Population Aging," reviews research from scientists funded by the National Institute on Aging on the reasons for the increases in life expectancy and whether populations are living healthier. (June 2007)

Growing Older in America: What You Need to Know About the Health and Retirement Study
On June 12 in Washington D.C., the National Institute on Aging (NIA) convened a panel of speakers to address the significance of the Health & Retirement Study (HRS). This briefing was designed to introduce media, policymakers, benefits professionals, and others to the study's breadth and depth as a resource about our aging population. At the event, NIA introduced a new publication, Growing Older in America: The Health & Retirement Study, highlighting findings and trends from the study about the lives of older people.  (June 2007)

Challenges and Opportunities—The Population of the Middle East and North Africa

 This Population Bulletin looks at recent demographic trends in the Middle East and North Africa and how they interact with social and economic forces of change. It shows how this high-profile region is being transformed by mortality and fertility declines and a veritable revolution in marriage patterns and family planning use. The Bulletin  also considers the effects of immigration and refugee movements on the labor force as well as on the age and sex composition of country populations. (BUL62.2; June 2007)

Savings and the Elderly (PDF: 73KB)
This e-newsletter is the third in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Savings and the Elderly," reviews research from scientists funded by the National Institute on Aging on how people's savings behavior responds to changes in taxes and public policy. (May 2007)

The New Generation Gap
New population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that in 2006, the U.S. minority population topped 100 million for the first time in U.S. history. But minorities are not evenly distributed across age groups. The new estimates show a growing racial/ethnic divergence between America’s elderly population and younger age groups, creating a new kind of generation gap in the United States. (May 2007)