The paper looks at the baby boomers generation and the shifting age trend towards the old age as time goes by. This presents the challenge of proper health care for an ever increasing elderly generation and in effect the burden in terms of the monetary and the practitioners perspective. The paper discusses how these can be overcome
Baby Boomer and Health Care Crisis
Baby boomers and healthcare
Baby boomers and the health care
As the United States continues to grapple with the growing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, the aging population may continue to signal a health care crisis. Therefore, this is really important time for Americans to consider these demographic changes as well as the health and behavior outcome for this population. One of the United Health Foundation's senior advisors, Rhonda Randall, explains that if we do not measure it, we will not be able to know what to do about it.
It is projected that as the Baby Boomer generation starts to enter their senior years, these demographic shifts may pose a serious drain on the United States' health resources, (Alex Egervary, 2008). Already seniors tend to consume more health care as compared to the younger Americans, and moreover, the expectation is that Baby Boomers are to be sicker and live longer as compared to the previous generations.
According to reports out of the analysis done to multiple sources of government data, about 8 out of 10 seniors are by now living a life of at least one chronic health condition. Majority of these health issues are associated with the ongoing struggle by our nation towards obesity. It is estimated that 25% of seniors are obese, 20% of them are diabetes, as well as a figure more than 70% are suffering from heart disease. Just like between 1995 to 2010, obesity rates among the aged 50 to 64 had increased by 8%, the coming generation of seniors experienced higher rates as compared to the current seniors.
South have been largely associated with the worst health outcomes for seniors, where seniors have been more probable to live in poverty and do not find access to the health treatment they need. For these health issues for aging population to be treated it does not seem to be cheap, (Soliant Health, 2010). The population who are over 65 tend to spent three to five times more towards their health care as compared to adult population who are younger than 65, seemingly this demographic sector might explode as Baby Boomers goes on to be of age. Reaching 2030 when the whole Baby Boomer generation will be turning to 65, the seniors will be by then forming one-fourth of the whole population. Yet, due to the fact that medical advances are currently giving the American the opportunity of living longer, out of these senior 5.8 million of these seniors are projected to be older than 85.
The findings of the United Health foundation confirmed what the previous data revealed that Baby Boomers tend to be sicker as compared to their parents' generation. As much as Baby Boomers live longer as compared to their parents, there has been a significant decline in their quality of life.
Indeed, older adults continue to represent a rapidly growing and diverse subgroup of the American population. According to census from 2010 the estimation suggested that 40.3 million older adults reside within the United States, and the projection is that by 2050 this number will have double and even more to 88.5 million. As we know that one-fifth of older adults represent members of racial or ethnic minority groups: African-American 8%, Hispanic/Latino 7%, Asian 3%, and 1% is for Native Hawaiian, AI/AN, or Pacific Islander. What is projected is that among the older population 42% will be members of racial or ethnic minority groups by 2050.
The geriatric doctors are also projected to be of shortage. The reasons have been associated to reduction in what Medicare pay these doctors, which makes them to have no option but to stop taking on new Medicare patients, (Mary Ann E. Zagaria, 2008) . Moreover, physicians tend to face rising costs in terms of malpractice insurance, nurse wages as well as other expenses.
The program that has the responsibility for the health care of the elderly (Medicare) is also funding the education of these doctors once they graduate from medical school and become interns and residents. The irony part of it is that the same Medicare has made geriatrics a low priority, and provided the hospitals with little funding for it. At one time there were only 3 out of 126 medical schools across the country having a geriatrics department and this makes it not easy to recruit medical students into this specialty.
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