The average American had 16 chances in 100 of being hospitalized in 1975. The odds for people 55 years of age and older almost doubled—29 in 100. For people over 65, the odds rose to 36 in 100, and at 85, they were 54 in 100. This means that more than half of all individuals over 85 will be hospitalized in any given year. Because the need for hospital care increases rapidly after 55, some knowledge about hospitals can be useful to most of us. Hospital Discharges per 1000 People, 1975

Age

Discharges

0–14

72

15–24

142

25–34

173

35–44

155

45–54

178

55–64

215

65–74

300

75–84

443

85 +

539