The shelf · Ageing alone
Does This Chair Rocks hold up?
This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, by Ashton Applewhite (2016)
A polemic arguing that fears about ageing are exaggerated and that ageism is a prejudice like racism and sexism.
The short answer
Yes. Its reassuring figures on care homes and dementia all stand up.
The claims, checked
Only about 2.5% of Americans over 65 live in nursing homes.
Holds 1.3 million of 57.8 million people aged 65 and over lived in nursing homes in 2022, about 2.2%.
Even among people 85 and over, only about 9% live in nursing homes.
Holds The figure for people aged 85 and over is now 8% (2022).
Dementia rates are falling even as the population ages.
Holds Dementia prevalence among Americans aged 70 and over fell from 13% in 2011 to 10% in 2019. The number of people with dementia still grows.
Evidence: Population Reference Bureau