(Used by permission of Edgar J. Bender, Our Lives, God’s Masterpiece, Preferred Senior Services, Inc.)

What is your I.Q. when it comes to the Aging of America? Take a few minutes to complete the quiz to see how much you know about the age wave.

1) At the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, what was the average life expectancy in the U.S?
(a) 27 (b) 42 (c) 56

2) The number of people in the U.S. over age 65 is now larger than the entire population of Canada.
(a) True (b) False

3) How many centenarians (people 100 years of age or older) are in America today?
(a) 5,000 (b) 24,000 (c) 50,000

4) The number of senior citizens 55 years and older is growing at a rate three times faster than the national average.
(a) True (b) False

(5) What is the most widely read magazine in America today?
(a) Time (b) Modern Maturity (c) Newsweek

(6) What was the life expectancy at the time of the signing of the Social Security Act of 1935?
(a) 35 (b) 45 (c) 55

(7) The 65 plus group represents 12% of the national population. In churches this same group represents 20%.
(a) True (b) False

(8) How many grandparents are there in America today?
(a) 2,000,000 (b) 20,000,000 (c) 200,000,000

(9) Americans over 50 control what percentage of the total net worth of the U.S.?
(a) 10% (b) 50% (c) 70%

(10) The change from a youth-oriented culture to a nation of middle age and older adults brings new issues to address. Older adults are neither prepared for, nor informed of, those issues.
(a) True (b) False

(11) What percentage of adults over 55 have given little or no thought to future housing needs for them?
(a) 30% (b) 50% (c) 80%

(12) The number of Baby Boomers who turn 50 each day is:
(a) 7,500 (b) 11,000 (c) 13,900

(13) Check all that apply to or characterize Baby Boomers:
(a) Link retirement to a negative image
(b) Feel younger than they really are
(c) Believe retirement will be long and they will be healthier than ever before
(d) Feel they are putting enough money aside for retirement