This report outlines the staggering cost to the U.S. of lost independence of older Americans due to chronic illnesses that are often unrecognized and under-treated.

Surprisingly, it's not the big killer diseases like cancer and heart disease that predominately rob people of their ability to live independently and pose the biggest threat to our nation's health and economic well-being, but rather the unrecognized and under-treated chronic conditions of aging--such as visual and mental impairment, incontinence, and physical immobility.