LIVING TO 100: Building a world where people thrive as they age requires a whole new way of thinking.

• Author: Weiss, Suzanne

50/50

are the odds that an American 10-year-old will live to 100.

10,000

baby boomers turn 65 every day.

3 to 1

is the ratio of women to men who live into their 90s.

40 million

Americans provide daily care for older adults.

61%

of family caregivers work full time.

$7,000

is the average annual out-of-pocket expense facing family caregivers.

75%

of adults over 85 have at least three chronic health problems.

30%

of adults over 85 have dementia.

$9,100

is the average monthly cost for a private room in a skilled-nursing facility.

95%

of Americans over 40 do not have long-term care insurance.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, AARP Public Policy Institute, National Council on Aging

ife's too short, we like to say.

Or is it?

Most everyone knows or has heard about people in their 80s and even 90s who live ' on their own, still drive and enjoy activities ranging from travel to golf to volunteer work. But the ninth and 10th decades of life are far from golden years for the vast majority of America's "oldest old"--numbering 6.4 million today and projected to surge to nearly 15 million by 2040. Roughly 4 in 5 people over age 85 are housebound or in assisted-living facilities, struggling or at risk financially, coping with several chronic health problems and increasingly dependent on family, friends and a hodgepodge of supports whose capacity, accessibility, affordability and quality vary widely across and within states.

The fact that this vulnerable age cohort happens to be the nation's fastest growing has broadened attention to the effects of longevity: on individuals, families and communities; on the workplace and the economy; and on the well-being of the nation.

The immensity of the future shift in demographics has helped put the issue on the radar for many lawmakers. Some states have shown notable initiative and commitment in areas such as retirement security and home-based and institutional care.

But states aren't moving fast enough for James Firman, president and CEO of the National Council on Aging. "We see what is coming, but we are not prepared as individuals, as communities and as states," he noted in a recent NCSL "Our American States" podcast, "Living to 100: The Policy Implications." "This needs to rise quickly to the top of the legislative agenda before it's too late."

And "too late" is just around the corner, says Elaine Ryan, AARP's vice president for state advocacy and strategy integration. Baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, are...