If you are living with a disability, whether this is a new development in your life or something you have been living with for some time, you should know that you are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about 25% of Americans, or one out of every four, have a disability.
While disabilities clearly take many forms, the most common type is a disability that impacts mobility. For adults as a whole, you can find this with one out of every seven individuals. As people become older, reaching 65 and above, it becomes even more common and impacts two out of every five.
Starting at that point, here are some of the most common disabilities:
- Mobility
- Hearing
- Cognition
- Self-care
- Independent living
- Vision
Many of these areas are, of course, closely connected. Someone who struggles with mobility may no longer be able to take care of themselves in simple ways, such as taking a shower or going to the grocery store. Someone who has cognitive issues may need a caregiver around all of the time to ensure that they are safe and secure. As noted above, a lot of these issues just get to be more noticeable with age, so what starts as a minor issue could become a complete disability as the years go by.
It is important to understand how common disabilities are because that helps to show exactly what type of assistance these individuals may need to live happy, healthy and productive lives. Those with financial challenges, for instance, may have a right to government benefits.
