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Aging Redefined Mya A. HendricksonEnglish 122Ridgewater College AbstractSociety’s global aging population is shifting dramatically and it creates a problem for the younger generation; the elderly will need care at some point throughout their final years. The elderly population, globally, is the fastest growing section of society’s population. The baby boomer generation is redefining the concept of old age, the views society has on aging, and how those views are shifting. Exploring all viewpoints of the issue from an economic, psychological, and health perspective it helps bring to focus the aspects of population aging. The baby boomer generation is defined and is shown how they will be the driving force in the movement to redefine old age and care for the elderly. Their generation has the ability to change retirement and old age. Experts and research bring valid arguments and support to solving the growing issue of the aging populations. A survey is included as well to reveal the intentions of baby boomers and their retirements. The workforce and social security are being reformed and will continue to as the baby boomer pushes these issues to the table. The baby boomer generation is redefining all aspects of age. Aging RedefinedEvery individual has a different perspective on aging, but when one considers an eighty-year-old women society normally does not think of a strong, fit, body builder. Ernestine Shepard fits this description. At 80 years old she runs several miles a day, eats extremely healthy, wears bikini’s, and did not start body building until her late 50’s. Aging is changing rapidly and the views society has are constantly shifting. The population in not only the United States but across the globe is getting older every day with less births every year the world population is shifting dramatically. This creates a problem for how the young will take care of the older generation to have a successful retirement and quality care. Ernestine Shepard is not a baby boomer, but is showing the potential of the baby boomer generation. Now just starting to enter what society considers old, baby boomers play a big role in the current views of aging and the views of the future. Aging is being redefined by the baby boomer generation through psychological, economic, and health perspectives.Aging is the process of growing old, but it is important to fully understand what that means and why populations age. In the enlightenment around the 1800’s the average lifespan was around 30 years old--because of the terrible working conditions and diseases-- now the lifespan has increased to nearly 79 years. These massive increases in human lifespans are attributed to many events and advances in technology throughout time, and has helped shape individual’s views of old age. Society tends to think of old as “frail” (Blanchette & Valcour 1998). In contrast, not only looks play a role, retirement ages and pensions have a role as well. Views on aging and old have changed throughout history. old as the retirement age and is often around 60 years old and up (Zimmer & Zimmer 2006). Aging is the concept of physical and mental decline (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). However, not only individuals age, populations age as well.Population aging is another concept that is important to consider. According to the encyclopedia of aging, population aging is “the dynamic process that refers to increasing proportions of a population in old ages (Zimmer & Zimmer 2006).” Meaning that the number of old is higher and disproportionate to the number of young. Populations age because of three major reasons birth rate, mortality, and the movement of people (Zimmer & Zimmer 2006). The birth rate is the highest contributor to population aging. If the birth rates are continuously decreasing as the older generations move into retirement and old age they will make up a larger percentage of the population (Zimmer & Zimmer 2006). Mortality also plays a role in population aging because when life expectancy increases that means people are living longer and there will be increased elder. Migration the third component refers to the movement of people and deals more directly with population in regions rather than countries: like boom towns, or the migration of the young population to the cites for employment opportunities. Nearly every region and country across the globe is experiencing population aging at different rates largely because of low fertility rates (Zimmer & Zimmer 2006). Population aging is a relevant event that is occurring all around us, and the baby boomers are presenting a new issue.The baby boomer generation came to life at the end of World War II when soldiers flocked back home and birth rates soared. Baby boomers generally are individuals born from 1946 and 1965 and make up a large section of populations across the world (Taylor, Pilkington, Feist, Grande, & Hugo 2014). The first of the baby boomers turned 65 in 2011 entering what society believes is the beginning of old age (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz, 2003). This cohort has changed every age group they have come across and will redefine old age (Blanchette & Valcour, 1998). Some believe that the baby boomers will be a large burden taking the resources and funding that children need, in contrast, others believe that they will be robust and healthy and financially independent (Blanchette & Valcour, 1998). Either way this generation brings about an evolving population.Populations in the U.S. and the world are still growing and is around 7.5 billion. The average age of Americans and other nationalities is changing. The baby boomer generation plays a significant role in the distorted population. Many of the baby boomers had fewer children than their parents, several even delayed births until their 30’s (Blanchette & Valcour, 1998). Aging populations had been growing even before the baby boomers. The boomers offset the aging trend for a short period with all their births but will change it once again as they move into old age (Knickman & Snell 2002). Aging, the baby boomers, and the aging population are important to understand to consider how the baby boomer are reinventing the concept of aging.Individuals have different views on population aging and how to solve the issue, but everyone can agree that the population overall is growing. The life expectancy of individuals is getting longer every year. 65 years’ old’s in the future will likely be smarter, have higher education, and live longer than 65-year old’s today (Sanderson & Scherbov 2015). This is because of constant advances in the medical field that reduce the amounts of deaths each year. It also can be contributed to the push to get a college degree and most current deaths are from lifestyle factors that are preventable rather than the accidents that most deaths occurred from in earlier time periods. The fastest growing section of the population is 85 years and older (Blanchette & Valcour, 1998). This is crucial because if more people are living to an older age that means the world have a larger population. In 2030 the baby boomers will number 61 million people and the oldest old --prior generation-- will be 9 million people (Knickman & Snell 2002). With these astronomical numbers, there is a large debate on how the younger generation will take care of the old. In 2000, there was 35 million elderly and it will reach 80 million and beyond by 2050 (Knickman & Snell 2002). Imagine how much the workforce will diminish with such low fertility rates and such high life expectancies; society has a mounting problem to overcome.The aging populations the world is experiencing and will continue to, presents many obstacles. One must understand how old age is currently viewed to comprehend the change baby boomers will bring. The United Nation categorizes people as old at the age of sixty in their studies (Sanderson & Scherbov 2015). In some countries, legal requirements determine old age. For example sixty-five in some countries is old age because that is when they are qualified for full state pensions (Sanderson & Scherbov 2015). Juan Lacomba and Francisco Lagos (2006), who came up with a mathematical formula for the optimal retirement age further back this claim up, they believe legal retirement age refers to when benefits are accessible. However, how one thinks of elderly psychologically is different based largely on appearance not actual age, with the thirty is the new fifty movement people often and look and act younger. If one sees a seventy or eighty-year-old that is working or even just productive one does not perceive them as old (Blanchette & Valcour 1998). It is not only the young generation that will have to shoulder the burden, baby boomers are struggling to pay for their parents as well as themselves. Social security and health plans currently are not doing their job many individuals find themselves unable to pay for retirement or quality care. Blanchette and Valcour (1998), authors of Health and aging among baby boomers, argue that the greatest barrier and obstacle for the baby boom generation is the lack of insurance coverage. Additionally, an article from the Journal of American society on aging supports that further, they claim the U.S. spends more money on medical care but is behind in almost all measurements of health outcomes (Bragg & Hansen 2015). This means that while the U.S. is spending trillions of dollars it is not effective. There is a dire need to reform social security and reallocate the money being spent on medical care. James Knickman and Emily Snell (2002), who write for the Health Services research reveal, “Every elder has to prepare for four key “aging shocks”: uncovered cost of prescription drugs, the costs of medical care that are not paid by Medicare or private insurance, the actual cost of private insurance that partially fills gaps left by Medicare, and the uncovered costs of long term care.” Not only do they have many extra costs to worry about but with the labor shortage in health care, costs of care and medical costs will continue to rise. It is predicted that they typical 65-year-old will have $40,000 of uncovered costs (Knickman & Snell 2002). Baby boomers have already started to redefine health care because they have expressed the need for high quality care, with and optimal environment, and a fifth of medical centers have created women centers at their facilities (Blanchette & Valcour 1998). Baby boomers are already evolving medical care and that is not the only aspect of old age they will reinvent. Retirement is a stage in life that many individuals plan for but the baby boomer generation is changing the entire concept of retirement. Blanchette and Valcour (1998), believe that retirement is “a synonym for lack of productivity.” Meaning when one is done working and unproductive then they are in retirement stage of life. A survey conducted on baby boomers who were 50 to 65 years old and have been in the workforce for the past three years found that the majority of them revealed they would be happy to work part time and even more shockingly to never retire (Taylor, Pilkington, Feist, Grande, & Hugo 2014). From the survey 25.9 percent said they would like to fully retire, however an astounding 74.1 percent reveled they plan to continue working in some way (Taylor, Pilkington, Feist, Grande, & Hugo 2014). Not only are baby boomers willing to work longer this generation does not seem to be saving enough for retirement. Considering the saving habits of this generation 17.7 percent of them said they do not save at all, and 27.3 say they save but do not have a savings plan (Taylor, Pilkington, Feist, Grande, & Hugo 2014). This is worrisome because if they are not saving enough or do not care about retirement the views on retirement need to change. Additionally, another article states that the baby boomers are not saving enough money to take the last chapter of their lives off (Blanchette & Valcour 1998). The article caring for baby boomers the 2030 problem authors explain that there are three types of financial statuses the Medicare bound, financially independent, and the Tweeners (Knickman & Snell 2002). They define Medicare bound as having assets less than 50,000 dollars, the financially independent are those with at least 150,000 in liquid assets, and the Tweeners those who have stable income but cannot deal with the four aging shocks (Knickman & Snell 2002). If the baby boomers are not planning to retire as quickly they will also change the workforce in the world today. The workforce is also being redefined by their generation as it will change from being mainly young to old. The workplace itself has been changing throughout history as America becomes more service based rather than a product based country. Work is becoming more technical rather than physical; it is starting to combine education and leisure with jobs (Blanchette & Valcour 1998). Society as a whole is starting to find careers and jobs that they enjoy rather than just doing it for the money so it makes individuals more willing to stay in the workforce longer. Countries have major concerns because if the retirees exceed the number of new workers there will be a major loss of skilled and experienced workers (Taylor, Pilkington, Feist, Grande, & Hugo 2014). However, if the people retire later it is possible to slow down and just change how the workforce operates. Research has shown that those with physically demanding or high stress jobs often are the ones that will retire early (Taylor, Pilkington, Feist, Grande, & Hugo 2014). Not only is the overall workforce changing, but the need for the health care workforce must shift as well.With the current elderly populations and projections society needs to revamp the health care workforce. When considering the health care professions there is a major shortage of workers that can care for the older generation. Elizabeth Bragg and Chin Hansen (2015), authors of Ensuring care for baby boomers solutions at hand, cite that the increase of caregivers ages 45 to 65 will increase by one percent the number of individuals 80 and older will increase by 79 percent. They also reveal that the need for personal care aides will go up 49 percent and home health aides by 48 percent in the year 2022 (Bragg & Hansen 2015). These numbers project how much the need for health workers will increase, at the current rate there is no way to fill the need unless something changes. Most people who live beyond 75 years old will need long term care or some form of assistance in the last years of their life; long term care expenditures are predicted to reach a overwhelming 270 billion dollars in 2030 (Knickman & Snell 2002). One solution they propose is to introduce robots into the health industry these would be cheaper, more efficient, help with toileting, and lower the need of workers (Bragg & Hansen 2015). It would also help patients be cared for steadily as overwhelmed care aids cannot give every patient the care they need (Bragg & Hansen 2015). Needless to say, with the growing elderly population the health care industry will have to improve.However, no matter how advanced or how far lifestyles improve at some point a large majority of individuals will need care in some form. A saying often used when discussing aging: is the human body is like a machine slowly but surely it breaks down and gets worse (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). Society can not only change how old is viewed, but they must also change how the care is given. As mentioned earlier the amount of elderly is sky rocketing and the younger generations are getting progressively smaller and society may not have enough willing works to fulfill the need. In 2030 it is predicted there will be 11 million disabled, although this is still an issue it is forty percent less than the estimate in 1982 which was around 18 million (Knickman & Snell 2002). 11 million may seem overwhelming but changing and making care more efficient could be a solution. Such as the robots mentioned earlier or new technologies that could assist care givers and help make care more affordable and efficient. All is not gloom and doom though because the baby boomer generation will pave the way for the future. The baby boomer’s health is better than that of any other generation that preceded it. This generation is better educated and intellectually fit than previous generations and both of these factors reduce risk of diseases that often plague the elderly (Blanchette & Valcour 1998). Medical advances will also help the baby boomer generation live healthy they will become one of the most advanced and healthiest generation. Blanchette and Valcour (1998), believe “boomers as a group are aggressive and well-informed and will expect information and performance from their care providers.” The baby boomers will change the health industry but, healthy aging could also play a critical role in changing the need of long term care.Healthy aging is a concept that is starting to become more widely discussed as it shows potential for reversing effects of aging. How baby boomers live at fifty will directly impact how the age and feel at eighty and beyond (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). Healthy aging although it might seem obvious is a combination of several aspects. There are several signs of health aging including not smoking, healthy weight, coping skills, physically active, strong marriage, and not abusing drugs and alcohol (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). If more individuals are aging healthier the need for long term care and assisted care will decrease and individuals can enjoy a greater quality of life as they age. Research has found that stress, ancestral longevity, and childhood temperament do not play a role in health aging; meaning that individuals have greater control over their health then what was previously believed (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). This is crucial because it creates a more optimistic outlook on what the elderly can do so they can be proactive and promote much healthier later years. From the encyclopedia of aging it is revealed that generations are becoming more healthier and that society has reason to believe that they will continue to (Zimmer & Zimmer 2006). Aging is not only physical aspects but mental ones as well. Healthy aging also includes the ability to forgive, experience joy, and be thankful (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). Aging is not simply growing older it is a tangled web of aspects it is important for one to feel accomplished and satisfied during their final years.Although the aging population presents a problem for society there are many solutions in addition to healthier aging one way would be to change the way old is defined. Warren Sanderson and Sergei Scherbov (2015), from the World Population program, the international institute for applied system analysis, and the Wittgenstein Centre for demography and global human capital, conducted a research experiment that proved that faster increases in human life expectancy could delay population aging. Although this may cause confusion because it was releveled earlier that the growing elderly was causing the population issue one must understand the methods that were used. The conventional method views people as old when they reached a particular age in this case the threshold was 65, the prospective view in contrast is based on the life expectancy of each individual or group in this scenario 15 years from their approximated death (Sanderson & Scherbov 2015). This twist shows how much just changing the simple thought process of something can change how a particular issue is viewed. They give the example of French women using the prospective concept they would be classified as old at 58.4 in the 1900’s and in 2012 it would be at 74.6 (Sanderson & Scherbov 2015). Thinking about that one can see that if individuals are getting classified as old later and later then the entire population as a whole would not be aging as dramatically. Using the conventional method however if the age if fixed at 65, then yes there will be more people over the age of 65 as the years go by so population aging would actually increase (Sanderson & Scherbov 2015). Changing how the world measures old age could change the views of old age and population aging.Not only will the baby boomers change what age society believes old to be but there are additional solutions as well because they can delay the need for long-term care. Healthy aging discussed earlier is one way that can change the concept of old. Increasing the maximal oxygen intake decreases the risk of stroke and can make an individual much healthier. After six months of training at just forty percent of maximum heart rate it increases the maximal oxygen consumption by fourteen percent; after twelve months, it doubled (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). If baby boomers and future generations take charge of their health they can directly impact the issue of the aging population in a positive way. Intermingling exercise with increase calcium intake, resistance training, and cognitive and physical stimulation will redefine the fixed age of 65 years old (Hartman-Stein & Potkanowicz 2003). Dementia, the inability to take care of themselves, strokes, diseases, and sedentary lifestyles would all decrease making the need for long term care less and less of an issue. The baby boomers are already showing the world how to live longer happier lives as they are the most productive and healthiest generation the world has seen. The baby boomers although they are not necessarily Ernestine Shepard are paving the way, future generations will continue to change under their influence and someday society will have more individuals like the astounding body builder, Ernestine Shepard. The global population is changing and society will need to change how they take care of the old, but as aging changes solutions are at hand. The global view on aging, retirement, social security, the workforce, and the health of the future generations all create promising change and hope for the future of not only America, but the entire world. Baby boomers are changing aging entirely, and will have impacts that will last forever as aging is redefined. ReferencesBlanchette, P. L., & Valcour, V. G. (1998). Health and aging among baby boomers.?Generations,?22(1), 76. Retrieved from , E. J., & Hansen, J. C. (2015). Ensuring care for aging baby boomers: solutionsat hand.?Generations,?39(2), 91-98. Retrieved from , J. R., & Snell, E. K. (2002). The 2030 problem: caring for aging baby boomers.?Health Services Research,?37(4), 849–884. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0560.2002.56.xHartman-Stein, P. E., & Potkanowicz, E. S. (2003). Behavioral determinants of healthy aging: good news for the baby boom generation. Online Journal Of Issues In Nursing,?8(2), 127-146. Retrieved from , J. A., Lagos, F., & Cigno, A. (2006). Population aging and legal retirement age.?Journal Of Population Economics,?19(3), 507-519. doi:10.1007/s00148-005-0044-9Sanderson, W. C., & Scherbov, S. (2015). Faster increases in human life expectancy couldlead to slower population aging.?Plos ONE,?10(4), 1-9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0121922Taylor, A. W., Pilkington, R., Feist, H., Dal Grande, E., & Hugo, G. (2014). A survey of retirement intentions of baby boomers: an overview of health, social and economic determinants.?BMC Public Health,?14(1), 1-17. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-355Zimmer, Z., & Zimmer. (2006). Population aging. In R. Schulz,?Encyclopedia of aging?(4th ed.)New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from ................
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