Demographics Affecting The Aging Population
Demographics
HCS490
April 29,2013
Demographics
As the population of today’s society continues to live long past retirement age, the need and cost for health care including research, development, and services will be essential. The demand for these critical components within a lifetime that has increased significantly in the last century is important to the health and well-being of all people.
The Aging Population
Health care issues and challenges that affect the aging population include chronic disease, long-term care, physical disabilities, and behavioral determinants, to name just a few. These challenges will continue to increase as baby-boomers reach retirement at very fast rate. This summary will discuss the health …show more content…
care issues and challenges that will affect the baby-boomer generation and the aging population of the United States.
Health care is beginning to experience the impact of the aging population. The baby-boom generation is rapidly beginning to reach retirement, as many of this generation has now reached the age of 60 (Strunk, Ginsburg, & Banker, 2006). This group of the United States population is expected to grow from 12.4% in 2005 to 14.5% by 2015 and 18.2% by 2025 (Strunk, Ginsburg, & Banker, 2006). Although this generation is a key reason for a growing demand for health care, the ever-increasing life expectancy rate throughout the United States has also become a key factor (Strunk, Ginsburg, & Banker, 2006).
The Impact of Changes in Demographics
These increases in population will also increase the demand and costs of health care. As populations continue to live longer the need for services for health related issues such as chronic disease, physical disabilities, and long-term care will also increase. More physicians, nurses, specialists, and aides will be needed. Health care will be needed for both inpatient and outpatient services. New medications will need to be developed in an effort to treat these health related issues, creating a need for biomedical technicians. In home health care may also increase because let’s face it- we are more comfortable at home regardless of age. These changes will lead to challenges and a growing demand for long-term care (both in home and nursing home). Community resources including Medicare, Medicaid, and social security funds will need to increase due to the increased need for geriatric care (Carbine, 2008). Long-term care is responsible for straining the budget of community resources throughout the United States. For example, the Medicaid program in Ohio spent $2.8 billion on long-term care services for its aging population in 2001; $2.3 billion of which was spent on nursing home expenses (Mehidizadeh & Applebaum, 2003). Once again, these expenses will continue to increase as the aging population continues to live longer.
Health Care Related Challenges
Health care challenges include a shortage of medical personnel to care for patients and instructors for individuals seeking new nursing degrees. In Michigan the average age of a nurse is 46. Unfortunately, many Michigan nurses are members of the baby-boom generation and most all of them will retire by 2030. This also leads to the challenge of nursing shortages and health care increases because these nurses will need their own health care.
Nursing educators are also reaching retirement, which is also straining the process of recruiting new nursing staff. According to The Nursing Agenda for Michigan, 81% of full‐time nursing faculty and 59% of adjunct nursing faculty are age 45 or older; 36% of full‐time faculty and 19% of adjunct faculty are age 55 or older (Abrams, 2005-2010). A majority of Michigan nursing programs report that they have difficulty filling faculty positions (Abrams, 2005-2010).
Chronic Disease Wellness Program
Chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and dementia significantly affect the aging population.
The cost of prescription medications needed to treat these diseases is also on the rise. More important, as the population continues to age the demand for the medications to treat these illnesses will rise too. Although many within the aging population have planned for retirement, the added expense of the rising costs of medication can devastate a predetermined retirement budget. Numerous aging people will face the choice of paying for their medications or buying food. Physicians have become more lenient about prescribing generic medications in an effort to make them affordable to patients and pharmacies are even providing discounts through rewards programs. Several pharmacies in Michigan now offer free antibiotics and $4 30-day prescriptions.
Wellness programs can help deter the cost of health care for the aging population. Wellness programs aid patients in how to make healthy choices by teaching nutritional eating habits, exercise routines, providing smoking cessation instruction, and educating about the benefits of vaccinations and screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies. These healthy lifestyle changes may diminish an individual’s chance of contracting chronic disease. Wellness programs are targeted to teach people to make healthy decisions in an effort to prevent chronic disease during the aging …show more content…
process.
Marketing Needs
Marketing needs for the challenges facing the aging population must be geared toward the need for nursing faculty and staff, the importance of screenings to detect disease early, assisted living care, and nursing home care. Aging individuals should have the opportunity to maintain independence and dignity while preparing for the end-of-life stages. Communities will benefit later by communicating the positive impacts that wellness programs and screenings have to offer to people who reach the later stages of life.
The United States Department for Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living is committed to maximizing the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities across the lifespan, and their families and caregivers by ensuring that all people, regardless of age and disability, live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society (About ACL, 2013).
The Administration for Community Living aids aging individuals by promoting strategies for people to live in their communities, providing leadership and support, collaborating, innovating, and solving the challenges that aging populations encounter (About ACL, 2013).
The increasingly negative challenges of the aging population will continue to impact society. Federal, state, and local governments can help by educating the public about chronic disease, wellness programs, nursing faculty and staff shortages, and planning for increases to health care costs. Aging individuals should have the opportunity live comfortably without the worries of medical professional staff shortages, chronic disease, and increasing health care
costs.
References
About ACL. (2013). Retrieved from http://acl.gov/About_ACL/Index.aspx
Abrams, R. (2005-2010). The Nursing Agenda for Michigan: 2005-2010. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/nurse1_151632_7.pdf
Carbine, M. (2008). The Aging of America. Implications for the Business of Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.aishealth.com/Products/age.html
Mehdizadeh, S. & Applebaum, R. (2003). A 10 Year Retrospective Look at Ohio 's Long Term Care System. Retrieved from http://sc.lib.muohio.edu/bitstream/handle/2374.MIA/101/fulltext.pdf?sequence=1
Strunk, B., Ginsburg, P. & Banker, M., (2006). The Affect of Population Aging on Future Hospital Demand. Retrieved from http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/25/3/w141
HCS490
April 29,2013
Demographics
As the population of today’s society continues to live long past retirement age, the need and cost for health care including research, development, and services will be essential. The demand for these critical components within a lifetime that has increased significantly in the last century is important to the health and well-being of all people.
The Aging Population
Health care issues and challenges that affect the aging population include chronic disease, long-term care, physical disabilities, and behavioral determinants, to name just a few. These challenges will continue to increase as baby-boomers reach retirement at very fast rate. This summary will discuss the health …show more content…
care issues and challenges that will affect the baby-boomer generation and the aging population of the United States.
Health care is beginning to experience the impact of the aging population. The baby-boom generation is rapidly beginning to reach retirement, as many of this generation has now reached the age of 60 (Strunk, Ginsburg, & Banker, 2006). This group of the United States population is expected to grow from 12.4% in 2005 to 14.5% by 2015 and 18.2% by 2025 (Strunk, Ginsburg, & Banker, 2006). Although this generation is a key reason for a growing demand for health care, the ever-increasing life expectancy rate throughout the United States has also become a key factor (Strunk, Ginsburg, & Banker, 2006).
The Impact of Changes in Demographics
These increases in population will also increase the demand and costs of health care. As populations continue to live longer the need for services for health related issues such as chronic disease, physical disabilities, and long-term care will also increase. More physicians, nurses, specialists, and aides will be needed. Health care will be needed for both inpatient and outpatient services. New medications will need to be developed in an effort to treat these health related issues, creating a need for biomedical technicians. In home health care may also increase because let’s face it- we are more comfortable at home regardless of age. These changes will lead to challenges and a growing demand for long-term care (both in home and nursing home). Community resources including Medicare, Medicaid, and social security funds will need to increase due to the increased need for geriatric care (Carbine, 2008). Long-term care is responsible for straining the budget of community resources throughout the United States. For example, the Medicaid program in Ohio spent $2.8 billion on long-term care services for its aging population in 2001; $2.3 billion of which was spent on nursing home expenses (Mehidizadeh & Applebaum, 2003). Once again, these expenses will continue to increase as the aging population continues to live longer.
Health Care Related Challenges
Health care challenges include a shortage of medical personnel to care for patients and instructors for individuals seeking new nursing degrees. In Michigan the average age of a nurse is 46. Unfortunately, many Michigan nurses are members of the baby-boom generation and most all of them will retire by 2030. This also leads to the challenge of nursing shortages and health care increases because these nurses will need their own health care.
Nursing educators are also reaching retirement, which is also straining the process of recruiting new nursing staff. According to The Nursing Agenda for Michigan, 81% of full‐time nursing faculty and 59% of adjunct nursing faculty are age 45 or older; 36% of full‐time faculty and 19% of adjunct faculty are age 55 or older (Abrams, 2005-2010). A majority of Michigan nursing programs report that they have difficulty filling faculty positions (Abrams, 2005-2010).
Chronic Disease Wellness Program
Chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and dementia significantly affect the aging population.
The cost of prescription medications needed to treat these diseases is also on the rise. More important, as the population continues to age the demand for the medications to treat these illnesses will rise too. Although many within the aging population have planned for retirement, the added expense of the rising costs of medication can devastate a predetermined retirement budget. Numerous aging people will face the choice of paying for their medications or buying food. Physicians have become more lenient about prescribing generic medications in an effort to make them affordable to patients and pharmacies are even providing discounts through rewards programs. Several pharmacies in Michigan now offer free antibiotics and $4 30-day prescriptions.
Wellness programs can help deter the cost of health care for the aging population. Wellness programs aid patients in how to make healthy choices by teaching nutritional eating habits, exercise routines, providing smoking cessation instruction, and educating about the benefits of vaccinations and screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies. These healthy lifestyle changes may diminish an individual’s chance of contracting chronic disease. Wellness programs are targeted to teach people to make healthy decisions in an effort to prevent chronic disease during the aging …show more content…
process.
Marketing Needs
Marketing needs for the challenges facing the aging population must be geared toward the need for nursing faculty and staff, the importance of screenings to detect disease early, assisted living care, and nursing home care. Aging individuals should have the opportunity to maintain independence and dignity while preparing for the end-of-life stages. Communities will benefit later by communicating the positive impacts that wellness programs and screenings have to offer to people who reach the later stages of life.
The United States Department for Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living is committed to maximizing the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities across the lifespan, and their families and caregivers by ensuring that all people, regardless of age and disability, live with dignity, make their own choices, and participate fully in society (About ACL, 2013).
The Administration for Community Living aids aging individuals by promoting strategies for people to live in their communities, providing leadership and support, collaborating, innovating, and solving the challenges that aging populations encounter (About ACL, 2013).
The increasingly negative challenges of the aging population will continue to impact society. Federal, state, and local governments can help by educating the public about chronic disease, wellness programs, nursing faculty and staff shortages, and planning for increases to health care costs. Aging individuals should have the opportunity live comfortably without the worries of medical professional staff shortages, chronic disease, and increasing health care
costs.
References
About ACL. (2013). Retrieved from http://acl.gov/About_ACL/Index.aspx
Abrams, R. (2005-2010). The Nursing Agenda for Michigan: 2005-2010. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/nurse1_151632_7.pdf
Carbine, M. (2008). The Aging of America. Implications for the Business of Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www.aishealth.com/Products/age.html
Mehdizadeh, S. & Applebaum, R. (2003). A 10 Year Retrospective Look at Ohio 's Long Term Care System. Retrieved from http://sc.lib.muohio.edu/bitstream/handle/2374.MIA/101/fulltext.pdf?sequence=1
Strunk, B., Ginsburg, P. & Banker, M., (2006). The Affect of Population Aging on Future Hospital Demand. Retrieved from http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/25/3/w141