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The fastest-growing age group in the United States is the oldest-old-people 85 years and older. This increase causes apprehension regarding resources that will be needed to provide services for this group. Mental health professionals should be in the vanguard of cultivating and nurturing resilience in this population. This article illuminates the concept of resilience as it applies to the oldest-old. We review the literature on development across the lifespan, successful aging, and response to transition and crisis to inform the discussion on resilience. We present several models of resilience in the elderly and describe a qualitative research study designed to further understand resilience in the oldest-old. Finally, we present implications for research and practice.
THE OLDEST OLD
Both the number and the proportion of elderly in the population are increasing rapidly worldwide (National Institute on Aging, 1993). In the United States the fastestgrowing group is the oldest-old, individuals 85 years and older (Berg & Morris, 1990). This population is expected to increase to 8.6 million by the year 2030 and to 16 million by 2050 (Spencer, 1989; U.S. Bureau of Census, 1991, 2000). The cumulative growth of this group from 1995 to 2050 is likely to exceed 400 percent; the oldest-old are projected to comprise 5 percent of the population in 2050, compared to their 1.4 share today (Siegel, 1996). Ethnic minority groups are expected to make up an increasingly greater proportion of this group (Felten, 2000).
The relative increase in the oldest-old population can be attributed to several factors, including advances in medical science, shifting birth and death rates, and the age pattern of net immigration. The baby-boom cohort, which will reach age 85 between 2030 and 2050, will contribute significantly to this anticipated demographic shift (Siegel, 1996).
Although increased longevity is hailed as an achievement of modern medical science, the rapid growth of the oldest-old group also generates some apprehension regarding the resources that will be required to provide services for these individuals (Baltes & Carstensen, 1996; Waters & Goodman, 1990). Of those over 85, 46 percent have limitations as a consequence of a chronic illness (AMA, 1990). This has implications for the provision of services such as housing, transportation, recreation, and education, and portends a fiscal strain on entitlement programs such as...