Health & wellbeing in older adults in Scotland

• Cancer: Overall incidence of cancers (malignant neoplasm) increases with age, peaking in those 70-74 years old for males and 75-79 years old for females, before falling in the very old (Cancer Incidence in Scotland 2022 (4119KB), see also Scottish Cancer Registry and Intelligence Service (SCRIS) ).
• Chronic liver disease: Chronic liver disease trends generally reflects changes in alcohol consumption - there was a sharp increase in chronic liver disease mortality rates for both men and women between 1993 and 2003, with a general decline in mortality rates until 2015. It has since increased slightly up to 2022. For both men and women, chronic liver disease mortality rates are highest for those aged 55-64 years and are lower for those aged 65+ (see our Chronic liver disease: mortality page).
• Coronary heart disease: Incidence (i.e. new diagnosis) rates rise sharply with age; across all age groups males are more likely than females to have a new diagnosis of CHD (see our ScotPHO heart disease: Scottish data page).
• Dementia is more common in older people (see our Dementia page).
• Diabetes (Type 2): incidence and prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is more common in older people (See our Diabetes pages). For example, 57% of all the people with type 2 diabetes whose data are recorded in the Scottish diabetic survey in 2023 were aged 64 years or older (Scottish Diabetes Survey, 2023) (1476KB).
• Disability: For both men and women the prevalence of having a disability (defined as a limiting long-term physical or mental health condition or illness) rises with age (see our Disability: limiting long-term health conditions and illness page).
• Falls and frailty: Falls are a common cause of injury in older people. Most falls do not result in major injury but can result in loss of confidence and independence (NHS Conditions A to Z, Falls).
• High blood pressure: The prevalence of high blood pressure rises with age (see our High blood pressure: prevalence page).
• Loneliness: It is estimated that almost 1 million older people (aged 65+) are “often” lonely in the UK (You are not alone in feeling lonely Policy Report Age UK 2024). The chances of being often lonely does not increase with age, but rather the risk of loneliness is similar across all ages, but the factors which lead to loneliness are different at different ages (All the Lonely People Age UK 2018).
• End of life care has an impact on the wellbeing of older people and their unpaid carers. Since 2014/15 the average percentage of the last 6 months of life time spent at home or in a community setting (for all ages combined) has gradually increased from 86.6% in 2014/15 to 90.2% in 2020/21, and in 2023/24 this figure was slightly lower at 89.0% (Percentage of End of Life Spent at Home or in a Community Setting 2024 report 2024 report) (2170KB). The length of hospital stays in 2020/21 and 2021/22 increased, largely because of the measures put in place due to COVID-19 (Percentage of End of Life Spent at Home or in a Community Setting 2024 report) (2170KB).
• Depression and anxiety: A lower proportion of older adults (aged 65 and over) reported General Health Questionnaire scores of 4 or more (indicative of a possible psychiatric disorder) compared to younger adults (aged 16-44) (Scottish Health Survey 2023, see our Mental health: depression and anxiety page)
• Osteoporosis: losing bone mass is a normal part of the ageing process, but some people lose bone density much faster than normal, leading to osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures. Women also lose bone rapidly in the first few years after the menopause. It is estimated that in 2015 the prevalence of osteoporosis for those aged 50 + was 6.8% for men and 21.8% for women (International Osteoporosis Foundation). It was estimated for 2019 that 3.755 million people in the UK had osteoporosis (5.2% of the population), and in 2015 the estimated lifetime risk of hip fractures was 8.3% in men and 17.2% in women aged 50 (International Osteoporosis Foundation).
• Stroke: Incidence and mortality are strongly related to age, with rates highest in the older age groups However, reduction in stroke incidence has been greater in the over 75s compared to the under 75s (see our Stroke: Scottish data page).
• Self-assessed health: The proportion of people assessing their health as bad or very bad increases with age (see our Disability: self-assessed health page).