A very relevant issue facing today’s society is that of adequate health care for the baby boomer and older generations and the finances associated with medical costs. Looking into possible factors that could negatively impact the older generations due to inefficient monitoring of medical records belonging to the geriatric population is what led me to come up with the following hypothesis. The lack of careful medical observation in the area of medicine for geriatrics will cause the baby boomer generation to have a greater financial hardship.
In the hypothesis that was previously stated, some indicators or ways to measure the hypothesis, would include: how often medicines get changed in a time span of one month thus showing a possible careless observation of treatment in an elderly patient; and financial hardships could result from the older generations having to pay higher medical expenses due to the lack in sufficient doctors and personal specializing in geriatric medical areas like medicine. The group of people focused on in this study would be of those adults at the age of sixty-five years and older in the United States of America. Financial hardships would be defined by if the patient could afford the prescriptions or medical treatments that the health
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In addition, I am concerned with any challenges that may affect anyone a part of the baby boomer generation and older because my parents, especially my father, are getting closer to the age of sixty-five. As the baby boomer generation grows older, medicine helping with chronic disease and the medical field, in general, will play a key role in the lives of the baby boomers like my parents. I am interested if the lack of adequate medical observation could negatively impact people like my parents because then it could then subsequently impact my siblings and
Life expectancy has increased over the last century. With this greater survival rate, there needs to be an increase in the rate of spending for Medicare. Despite what one does to improve their health behavior, the need for medical care cultivates as one ages. This need will continue to increase significantly as medicine continues to modernize.
Life expectancy 100 years ago was a little over 40 years of age as opposed to a bit more than half of what it is today. THERE HAS BEEN AN IMMENSE CHANGE OVER THE PAST CENTURY AND THIS PAPER WILL EXPLAIN WHAT HAS CHANGED FROM THE 1900s TO TODAY IN THE HEALTHCARE PERSPECTIVE. In the early 1900’s, most sick care took place in the home. Seeing a doctor was usually the last resort.
With the generation of baby boomers approaching senior age by 2025, it may be difficult for them to adjust to the new technology and implement it in their everyday activities. Baby boomers are commonly known for the rejection of modern conveniences in exchange for traditional technology and for traditional values. So how will this cripple the changing trend of life for the aging population and there to decisions of living at home alone and last but not lease Medicare and the risk factors of making such a life changing decision? These issues create a group who are underserved and vulnerable. Underserved because of the barriers they encounter when caring for themselves by trying to eat healthy and the inadequate health care cost. Vulnerable because of the economic disadvantages and the health conditions they may face while dealing with this financial burden. If these problems are not address we will a heavy burden in our healthcare system.
As individuals age, the capability to do daily activities declines to some point in every person. Older people have a tendency to have more illnesses and disabilities than younger people. There are various changes that go along with aging and they are more than just changes in health. Social influences an older person 's risk and experience of illness. Physicians frequently conduct a social history to aid them and other associates of the health care team evaluate an individual care, needs and social support. Physicians use the social history to aid the older person and any caregivers to make plans that will enhance their well-being. Some of the questions that physicians ask ranges from family, finances, education, companionship, work history, history of suffering, losses, and coping strengths.
• It was very surprising to know that Medicare does cover some of the necessities of the elderly such as dental exam and eyeglasses. In my thought process, isn’t this counterproductive and increased safety risk for this population? For example, an elderly may not be able to afford eyeglasses. By doing so, this individual may not be able to see the hallway at home properly and may fall thereby raising the possibility of hospitalization and even some complications, thereby placing a burden on healthcare cost. 3.
Not only are the individual healthcare needs of each generation significantly different, but so too are the ways they participate in healthcare. According to Berkowitz (2011), the baby boomers take direction from physicians regarding care and medication, whereas, the other generations tend to ask more questions regarding their care, and may forgo care if they determine the cost is more than their perceived benefit. For the physicians group, embracing the differences each generation presents will be key to the long term survival of the
The baby boomer generation will have tremendous impacts on health care as they continue to age and experience health issues. The impacts will show a significant financial difference in the very near future than what the impacts look like today for all health care organizations across the country. The baby boomer generation began between 1946 and 1964. Throughout the 18 year time span, over 76.4 million people were born. By 1964, this made up over 40 percent of the total US population. Today, this generation is between 53 and 73 years old and by 2020 there will be one and five people over the age of 65. As this time approaches and this generation becomes Medicare and
As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.
It is widely believed that the aging of the U.S. population is a major driver of the annual growth in the demand for health care and in national health spending
The quality of long term care has become a topic for the elderly and their family. Some of the issues are cost, quality, and access of care. The expansion of the elderly population, is expected to affect significantly the provision of long-term care. The impact of care has been considered. Social choice will play in shaping the future of the long-term care system. The Federal Government and the expansion of the Affordable Care Act are part of this social decision. One of the major concerns is the cost of long term care. Most of the U.S. population have the benefits of using Medicare.
More people are living much longer lives than in years past. People are very surprised to be living much longer lives than they thought they would. Health care has played a large part in patient longevity. There are many normal changes that come along with aging, however, because people are living longer these normal changes can become chronic problems. Common aging problems that can make the older adult a vulnerable population are reviewed in Gerontological Nursing (Tabloski, 2014) and can include nutritional needs, medication management, sleep changes, oral or mouth care, renal problems and musculoskeletal concerns. According to A Profile of Older Americans: 2013 (http://www.hhs.gov), there are a large amount
As the baby boomer generation begins to reach retirement age, there has been much speculation as to what affect they will have on the health care industry. The baby boomer generation is the group of people born between 1946 and 1964. At one point, there were more than 76 million of them, of which 4 million died before 2000. With all this in mind, I will discuss what specific effects they will have now they are getting to that “elderly” stage.
The elderly population is growing with 35 million people who are age 65 years or older and half are between the ages of 65 to 74 and the other half are over the age of 75. The population age 85 years or older are the fastest growing population (Dubow, 2017). In 1991 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported that 8 out of 10 people over the age of 60 had one or more chronic diseases or impairments which included arthritis, hypertension, hearing impairment, heart disease, cataracts, deformity or orthopedic impairment, chronic sinusitis,
Garrett, N., & Martini, E. (2007). The boomers are coming: a total cost of care model of the impact of population aging on the cost of chronic conditions in the United States. Disease Management, 10(2), 51-60 10p.
The aging population is also associated with increased health care utilization. Provider practice patterns may shift from emphasizing one type of treatment, counseling, compared to another, drug. Other factors may have more effect on the total number of people, or percentage of the population, who can receive the