Healthy Aging Introduction

Colorado’s older adults do relatively well by the measures used in this Report Card and compared to their peers in other states. We score in the top 10 on six of the seven Healthy Aging indicators. Following national trends, Colorado’s older adults are living longer and healthier lives. They are more likely to engage in physical activity and report good physical and mental health.

Based on this consistent high performance, Colorado gets an A- for Healthy Aging. But there is room for improvement. While Colorado ranks first in the proportion of older adults who get pneumonia and flu vaccinations, only 62 percent have actually protected themselves against these diseases. Additionally, one in five older adults report that poor physical or mental health kept them from doing their usual activities on eight or more days in the last month.

While over 90 percent of Colorado's older adults have one or more persons they think of as their personal doctor, most states do better. Better access to primary care could reduce the number of hospitalizations for conditions like diabetes, hypertension and pneumonia.