Any worker can suffer an injury and become disabled or experience a condition resulting in disability, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Injuries do not discriminate based on age and many mental conditions can also impact people at any age.
That said, you may be wondering if it’s more likely that you’ll experience a disability as you grow older. If you’re a worker in the 50+ category, for instance, is it statistically more probable that you will become disabled?
Age does make common disabilities even more likely
As you may have guessed, growing older does increase the odds of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They note that 1 out of every 7 adults in the United States has a mobility disability, for instance. This makes it the most common type across all adults. However, for those who are 65 or older, roughly 2 out of every 5 have a mobility disability, or 40% of the population in this age group.
This is not to say that younger people cannot qualify for disability benefits or should not know what options they have, of course. However, those who are moving into more advanced age groups need to know that there is an increased risk of disability, even if they have not had one before.
What can you do to seek proper assistance and benefits?
The good news is that the Social Security Administration does offer benefits to those who are disabled, through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. This can be a fairly complex process, so it’s a good idea to know how to proceed and what to do if your application is denied.