Consequences of an Older Population
SOC304 Social Gerontology
Instructor Mandee Rowley
April 16, 2012

With each passing day the age of the Baby Boomers will affect our lives on many social levels. This growing segment of our society will soon become the largest aspect of the American society carrying with it the majority of our aging population. The other age groups will be smaller, younger and yet will have to endure the cost of Healthcare for the Boomers that will be living longer requiring more resources than any of their predecessors. The Boomers will take with them into their Golden years a large grouping of income producers and leaving the balance of society to manage growing social costs.
The political face of Medicaid, Medicare, Disability, and SSI will more than likely have several court battles ahead of them to ensure government cuts will not strip away the program essentials that will be needed by our aging populations.
Healthcare
Today we await the Supreme Courts Justices to make their ruling as to whether President Obama’s national health care plan (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) is unconstitutional. The issue at hand is a Governmental mandate that everyone must purchase health insurance. The concern is making this a government decree and not something each state has the oversight and implementation process in.
The Affordable Care Act became law in March 2010. With its signing by President Obama came expanded coverage for young adults up to the age of twenty six. Small business tax credits and the release from Pre-Existing condition in insurance plans are now included. In 2013 if the healthcare plan is still in place we will see improvements focused on preventative care with little or no cost to patients. Coming January 1, 2014 is the establishment of affordable insurance exchanges. And finally in 2015 we shall see paying physicians based on value not volume patient care (What's Changing and When, 2012).
Housing
With people living longer, this increase in the elder population segment and their preference to age in familiar environments has caused many builders to explore new housing designs that incorporate the elder populations. As people age they can become disabled as they see a decline in their eye sight, hearing, and mobility. The general design of housing can become a barrier for the aging. Many aging people find there comes a day when they find physical limitations outside of the house and thus more and more of their activities can be more focused from within their residencies. This home bound scenario can be the only place our aging population can maintain their social bonds with those close to them and the community in which they live. Studies have shown that one of the most intrinsic aspects of success in aging is that of mental well-being. So looking at housing for the elderly it must fulfill the daily needs that an again person will need while providing a sense of satisfaction and comfort and still a form of independence (Demirkan, 2007).
Baby Boomers in their generation have spent wildly on themselves believing that the prosperity they found after World War II would just continue. They have been tagged as the “Me” generation and shop till you drop, He who dies with the most toys wins. The Boomer group has spent more than they have saved for the most part.
Housing supply was not enough to compete with their need and their demand in housing markets caused prices skyrocket and the term “McMansion” was born. The baby boomers were until very recently the wealthiest of any age group controlling about seventy percent of the total net work of American households. Unlike those that came before the boomers that saved money this group believed that their assets were to deliver any needed wealth. However, when the stock market fell by forty seven percent those boomers lost nearly one third of their value. Now the independent living communities may be the wave of their future with little to no housing wealth and solely reliant on their social security checks (Harmon, 2009).
Insurance
People in the age range of fifty to sixty four years old may differ from other high insurance need groups. The lack of insurance is not just the problem of this aging group but it may be more severe for the Baby Boomers because it has been shown that the health status of people nearing the Medicare eligibility age is higher than that of the younger population segment. The risk of mortality is significant higher for people over the age of fifty with a higher risk of mortality because of the lack of continuous health care coverage.
Another issue facing the aging is living with chronic health diseases that can require regular medical attention that can cause large spending events. At the same time this age group can see several factors that work to restrict health insurance, higher unemployment due to economic circumstances, or this group leaving the work force entirely or cutting back hours (Waidmann, 2010).
Older Americans Act
The Older Americans Act was passed in 1965 because there was a lack of services for older persons. The law established the Administration of Aging (AoA) to manage the recently created grant programs concerning older persons. This organization was the medium for the program and delivery of the social and nutrition services the program authorized services programs on a network that included 56 state agencies on aging (Older American Act, 2010).
Social Security Income benefits comprise almost fifty percent of the income that about two thirds of Americans sixty five and older. The scary thought is that almost one third of this aging population will depend on the benefits for almost ninety percent of the needed income (Greenblatt, 2007).
Boomers Health
Disability is a term not truly associated with the Baby Boomers whom are living longer, more active and who are changing the way we see the elderly. However, the Boomers are beset with disabilities. There is a growing number of middle-aged Americans that are showing signs of mobility related disabilities like having trouble with climbing stairs. There is national data that is showing more than forty percent of people age 50 to 64 are reporting that they are experiencing problems with at least one physical impairment and many are reporting problems with multiple physical health concerns.
There seems to be a growing number of aging Boomers that are requesting special equipment to move around such as cane’s and wheelchairs they are using these items to get out of bed and move around their homes. When reported aging adults between the ages of 50 to 64 who reported difficulty with various mobility actions the issues they remarked on where these:
Stooping, bending, and kneeling: 3,129 (2,875)
Standing two hours: 2,491 (2,321)
Pushing or pulling large object: 2,010 (2,024)
Walking a quarter-mile: 2,146 (1,954)
Climbing 10 steps: 1,749 (1,537)
Sitting two hours: 1,491 (1,445)
Lifting and carrying 10 pounds: 1,410 (1,387)
Reaching over head: 1,186 (1,149)
Grasping small objects: 1,128 (1,109)
One interesting fact among this age group is though the obesity epidemic in America is rising this group did not cite that this was the cause of their limited mobility health issues. The boomers also reported the need of help for back or neck related issues, diabetes, and depression and anxiety. Though they are reporting more and more health disabilities they are also reporting that these health issues and aliments started at ages thirty to forty nine.
These health disparities is disappointing and trending with far reaching potential consequences. It they are having such difficulties in middle age how will this group age and how will they impact the health care system as a whole with the continued stress on the system they will make (Boomers Beset with Disabilities, 2010).
Social Security
Historically social security benefits have been a major source of income for the elderly in the United States. The program itself has been linked to marital and earning history. This program may soon be affected dramatically by the social, demographic labor markets that might be transformed by the retirement expectations of the baby boomers. However we will not see changes before 2032. The income analysis of the boomers will be strong enough to carry them for quite some time given any unforeseen economic disasters. Projections suggest the baby boomers will have higher income and lower poverty rates given their longer period in the working market.
Conclusion
As we watched the Baby Boomers coming into their own in a decade from now we will see those same boomers at their older now in their seventies and the youngest boomers into their fifties. It is difficult to say for sure how they will have changed our social structure or how what their lives will be like. When the youngest boomers inter their sixties will have probably effect senior housing patterns, the workforce, leisure and recreational activities. Our health, disability events may have changed with ever increasing medical science and new breakthroughs. The baby Boomers do not think nor act like they are aging. Their youthful mindset and attitudes will help direct and motivate health service providers to find new and innovative ways to help them stay young and healthy.
Time will show us if the Baby Boomers decided to sit and rock out their years while playing with the grandchildren or nature the very nature of aging by staying healthy longer, living longer, or working past their sixty fifth years. The issue could be how will we adapt to the need?

References
David E. Bloom, D. C. (2011). Implications of Population Aging. Cambridge: Harvard.
Demirkan, H. (2007). Housing for the aging population. Ankara: Bilkent University.
Harmon, L. (2009, February 27). Baby Boomers, The U. S. Economic Collapse, And The Future Of Senior Housing. Retrieved from Articlebase: http://www.articlesbase.com/elderly-care-articles/baby-boomers-the-u-s-economic-collapse-and-the-future-of-senior-housing-793538.html
Marr, G. (2011, September 8). Aging Boomers spur housing needs by 2030. Retrieved from Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/2011/09/08/aging-boomers-spur-housing-needs-by-2030/
Richard W. Johnson, D. T. (2007). Meeting the Long-Term Care Needsof the Baby Boomers:. Urban.org.
Waidmann, L. J. (2010). Increasing Health Insurance Coverage for High-Cost Older Adults. Washington: AARP Public Policy Institute .