As long as lazy media continue to quote seriously flawed and out-of-date scientific studies on captive elephant husbandry than we will all believe what is printed in earnest.
Elephants have a life-span of 50-65 years in captivity. What the maximum age in the wild is a matter of serious debate without much substantiated and representative age-related scientific research on wild elephants available. In any case, tooth wear and patterns of replacement of molars ensure wild elephants simply do not survive long after they lost their final teeth .....! Truthfully, in middle- and later life as IS the case with Homo sapiens too elephants will develop age-related afflictions and diseases. That should be no surprise.
For what it is worth: elephant - indeed pachyderm - welfare is somewhat comprimised by concrete flooring. A feature that is now more frequently done away with and access to soft floorings or rubber matting is provided thus improving their overall care and wellfare. It is called progress in zoo husbandry, management and design. We can only learn by our mistakes.
Finally, last thing I heard it was not going so well with elephants in the wild both in Africa and in Asia. Goodness forbid that we might have to say in 50-60 years time that - thanks to the good works of a sanctuary like PAWS in California - here (at PAWS) we have the only one left in captivity, in the wild they are extinct.
To me, it remains a sorry, sad state when these facilities continue to pride themselves in investing so heavily and IMO so disproportionally in the captive care of the happy few middle-aged or with medical issues individual elephants they care for while they do not constructively nor substantially support or fund in any manner the stabilisation of elephant numbers and herds in the wild in range countries, nor do they actively advocate and support amelioration or improvement of captive husbandry, care and facilities of elephants in zoos in the Americas. Overall, dramatic declines in wild populations of elephants continue unabatted.
The policies of institutions like PAWS are sadly such a far cry from assuring in situ conservation of both formidable and magnificent pachyderm species - I mean the 3 elephant species here - taxa well into the future for all future generations of Homo sapiens to enjoy!