(The following statistics come from U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Geriatric Society, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.)
 

3.1 million: The number of Americans 65 and older in 1900 (representing a total of 4 percent of the U.S. population at that time).

72 million: The number of Americans expected to be age 65 and older by 2030 (representing a projected total of 20 percent of the U.S. population by that time).

2011: The year the first Baby Boomers, the generation of Americans born between 1946 and 1964, turned 65.

22: The percentage of the U.S. population aged 65 and older who report engaging regularly in physical activity.

17: the average number of daily minutes Americans 65 and older spend engaging in physical activity.

30: The average number of daily minutes of physical activity recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General for reaping the benefits of exercise.

257: The average number of minutes Americans 65 and older spend watching TV each day.

40: The percentage of Americans 65 and older who report having difficulty completing at least one basic activity of daily living.

30: The percentage of those 65 and older who will experience a fall each year.

6: The percentage of annual emergency room visits that are fall-related injuries.

$32.3 billion: The projected social costs of falling by 2020.

3: The number of exercise types (balance, gait, and strength) recommended by the American Geriatrics Society for combining basic fitness with fall prevention.

3: The number of those recommended exercise types that can be achieved by regular walking.