50% of people aged 70 or over reported having a limiting illness, health problem or disability. This compares with 8% of people aged 30-39 years.
(Scottish Household Survey 2003)
Life Expectancy at birth for Scotland is 73.8 for men and 79.7 for women
(General Registrar for Scotland, Life Expectancy within Scotland 2002-2004)
26% of men, and 25% of women aged 65 – 74 are smokers – a lower proportion than any other adult age group.
8.8% of lung cancer patients aged 70-74 receive surgery within six months of diagnosis, compared to 54.5% of those aged under 35.
(The Health & Well-being of Older People in Scotland. Insights from National Data. Wood, R. & Bain, M. NHS Scotland ISD Edinburgh 2001)
Male Life expectancy in the Shettleston Glasgow constituency is 64, the lowest in the UK
(Constituency Health & Well Being Profiles 2004, NHS 2004)
There are an estimated 61,000 people with dementia in Scotland. 3%are under 65, 21%are between 65-74, 40%are 75-84, and 37%are 85+.
(Alzheimer Scotland Action on Dementia from EURO DEM)