Baby-boomers now heading for old age
Almost 80 million “baby-boomers” are heading for old age according to a report by the Federal Institute of Medicine. By the year 2030, one in five Americans will be over 65 years of age.
By MICK SEVERIN
The Trucker Staff
7/7/2008
I was reading an interesting report on the “graying” of America and it struck me that it didn’t single out any particular industry.
Basically the report was discussing how our country is getting “older” in terms of population and being that truckers are a part of the general population the report does include you.
Almost 80 million “baby-boomers” (I am part of that group) are heading for old age according to a report by the federal institute of medicine. By the year 2030, one in five Americans will be over 65 years of age.
Are you wondering how these numbers affect you even if you’re not part of that “boomer” generation of individuals born from the mid 1940’s to the mid 1960’s?
Currently, according to the report, individuals 65 and over make up about 12 percent of the population, account for about 25 percent of doctor visits and around 30 percent of hospital care, prescriptions and ambulance trips.
Of these numbers individuals over 75 years of age usually have three chronic issues and take over three medications.
The report also stated that medical care for the “aging boomer” is in woefully short supply.
Not enough doctors because geriatric care does not pay as well as other specialties, shortage of nurses because of the costs to train nurses for a “deluge” that’s almost here and the pay for a general care geriatric health-professional is less than $10 an hour.
Statistics show that there is about one doctor for every 2,500 people over 65 and the numbers are worse for all geriatric specialties. In fact individuals entering the field of geriatrics has dropped over 20 percent in the last five years.
Think of it this way, if current trends continue your sons and daughters are going to have to be the ones to help you, you “boomer baby” you, through old age both physically and financially. There won’t be enough trained health care professionals to go around and the few that do enter the field and try to help will be able to ask for an awful lot of money to do it.
Now, to add a little more “fuel to the fire,” consider the geriatric issue for the younger generation if Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid fail, and that, my friends, is not an unlikely scenario.
As one of the all-time spokesman for the “boomer” generation said in a song, “The times they are-a-changin!”
And that they are as evidenced by our current fuel, financial and global crisis. There is almost no-where you can turn where you don’t hear about pain, see pain or feel the pain yourself.
Sometimes it almost seems hopeless doesn’t it?
Well, according to the philosophical meanderings of “The World According To Mick,” nothing is ever hopeless!
You can be old, you can get tired, you can be frustrated, you can feel lost, you can be depressed and you have every right to feel all of those things sometimes, but you have no right to stay under those dark moments.
You are getting older but you are also getting smarter. Who rules your world?
If you feel sick…get better! If you are over-weight…lose it!
If you don’t exercise…get off your “butt” and get movin’!
If you don’t pay attention to your nutrition…pay attention!
If you neglect those around you…quit neglectin’!
And finally, if you don’t pray…pray like you never have before!
Pray for yourself, your family, for your friends and for this great country of ours!
Do all of these things and I guarantee that our “older” generation will “weather the storm” and the generations behind us will be strengthened, encouraged and determined to help their children and this country be stronger and mightier than we ever thought possible!
God bless you and yours,
Mick