Older U.S. residents getting healthier

PHOENIX, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. citizens more than 60 years of age are becoming healthier and better educated than their predecessors, a gerontologist and psychiatrist said.

The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday that, according to health experts, while U.S. citizens are living dramatically longer, they are also becoming healthier and more intelligent about old age than the previous generation.

"We've gained 30 years of life in the 20th century, which is unheard of," said International Longevity Center-USA president Dr. Robert Butler. "That's more than in the preceding 5,000 years. It's an extraordinary increase."

Thanks in part to better available healthcare such as advanced cancer screenings and improved medication, experts said the next cohort of senior citizens should be even healthier.

But while senior citizens have become increasingly more active and seen their numbers rise dramatically nationwide, Butler recognized some potential pitfalls.

"Baby boomers have not saved enough money, and unfortunately our country has become overweight," he told the newspaper. "Plus there are 47 million people who don't have health insurance."