Hcs 490 Week 4 The Aging Population Demographic Research Paper
The aging population demographic
HCS/490
February 24, 2014
Saeed Hamdan
The aging population demographic
There are many things that can happen in our lifetime. We can become rich or poor. We can get married, become divorced, or stay single. We can be graced with children or live a quiet life without them. We can climb the ladder of success at a large corporation, start our own business, become a tattoo artist, or follow any number of careers. There is one fact that we have no choice of. If we wake up tomorrow, we will be older. The average age for men in 2013 was 76 and for women it was 81 compared to 1963 when it was 66 for men and 73 for women. This is a good thing but we need to realize that today there is no population that is going to change the health care market more than …show more content…
the aging population.
The aging population is considered to be those who are greater than 65 years old, and they make up 12.9% of the current population of the United States of America (AOA, 2012). The Administration on Aging, AOA, is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and they have some interesting facts on the demographics of the aging population:
The aging population was 39.6 million in 2009
Expected grow to 72.1 million by 2030
The older population (65+) numbered 41.4 million in 2011, an increase of 6.3 million or 18% since 2000.
The number of Americans aged 45-64 – who will reach 65 over the next two decades – increased by 33% during this period.
Over one in every eight, or 13.3%, of the population is an older American.
Persons reaching age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 19.2 years (20.4 years for females and 17.8 years for males).
Older women outnumber older men at 23.4 million older women to 17.9 million older men. In 2011, 21.0% of persons 65+ were members of racial or ethnic minority populations--9% were African-Americans (not Hispanic), 4% were Asian or Pacific Islander (not Hispanic), less than 1% were American Indian or Native Alaskan (not Hispanic), and 0.6% of persons 65+ identified themselves as being of two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin (who may be of any race) represented 7% of the older population.
Older men were much more likely to be married than older women--72% of men vs. 45% of women (Figure 2). 37% older women in 2012 were widows.
About 28% (11.8 million) of non-institutionalized older persons live alone (8.4 million women, 3.5 million men).
The growing aging population has caused quite the impact on the health care market. When you go to a hospital you don’t expect to see young healthy people, but the actual numbers are surprising. In 2010 the aging population accounted for three times the number of hospital stays that all other groups. The aging populations care was more expensive than the other groups, partially because the aging population stays at least 1 day longer than the other age groups (DHHS, 2012).
This change in the population is going to affect health care because as the aging population grows, they will take up more time with health care providers. This means that we will need more health care providers trained in how to take care of the elderly. Physicians may need to take courses on how to timely take care patients that are coming in with chronic diseases into the emergency room. Nurses may need additional training on how to start IV’s on elderly patients whose veins may be harder to access, or they may need to be trained on how often to check an adults diaper for wetness. This does not just mean more doctors and nurses. Employees in the billing department will need to be more fluent in charging Medicare. Patient registration staff will need to be prepared to help the elderly use the new electronic devices that may be available at registration. Even the cafeteria staff may need to be better prepared to serve food for a different population.
There are some other changes that we need to expect to see in health care with the aging population. The biggest change is going to be the shift from acute care to chronic care (Wiener & Tilly, 2002). An example that we will see in the emergency room will be patients that have not been managing their diabetic medication correctly, or who ran out of blood pressure medication a week ago and did not go get it filled. This compared to blunt head traumas or broken bones could be the new norm in the emergency room. Outside of the hospital, long term facilities are going to have to get prepared. If the aging population is expected to double by 2050, then nursing homes or other step down facilities are going to have to get prepared for the increase in patient load. Not only will they need more beds, but they will need to find more staff. Nurses are already in demand, and they will become even more in demand as the population ages.
Wellness programs are going to become a necessity for reducing the costs of the aging population. Most chronic diseases, which is what plagues the aging population, can be prevented or reduced by exercise. The American College of Sports Medication believes that exercise is necessary for the aging populace, and thinks that strength training can be used to reduce disease such as osteoporosis, and diabetes. They also support the idea that aerobic exercise such as swimming or running can reduce the risk of cardiac disease (ACSM, 2013). Having a wellness program is a way that hospitals and long term facilities can market their care to the aging population. Advertising about how wonderful the mother baby unit at a hospital will not target the aging population, if that is the population a hospital is targeting. However, providing a free wellness program including yoga, stretching, or walking classes for example, will not only market their facility but also show that they support the health care of their community.
It is the patients fault if they are overweight or in poor health. There are some things that we cannot avoid, but there are many diseases that we can. Patients need to be educating themselves now about how to prepare for the illnesses they may face as they shift into the aging population. Patients cannot expect to have their diabetes managed at age 65, when it’s been poorly controlled for the last 15 years, but, the community and society as a whole needs to realize that it is still our job to help take care of the elderly. One way we can do this is by being involved with their health care. This does not mean come to a doctor’s appointment once a year, but rather to encourage our elderly family members to participate in wellness. Coming over and cooking a healthy meal, with leftovers, or taking them to the park to watch their grandkids play baseball are good ways that we can be involved in the aging populations health care.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said “beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor was correct.
Art isn’t something that just happens, it is something that has to be worked on every day, and perfected. The health of the aging population is the same. Their health care is going to be the biggest part of the health care system in the next 25 years. The patients, the providers, and the community all need to work together to make sure that their health care is beautiful.
References
ACSM. (2013). Exercise and the older adult. Retrieved from http://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/exerciseandtheolderadult.pdf
AOA. (2012). Aging statistics. Retrieved from www.aoa.gov/AoAroot/Aging_Statistics/
DHHS. (2012). Profile of older Americans. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/AoAroot/Aging_Statistics/Profile/2012/14.aspx
UCBerkley. (1998). Life expectancy in the U.S. Retrieved from http://demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/figure2.html
Wiener, J. M., & Tilly, J. (2002). Population aging in the United States of America: Implications for public programs. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31(4), 776-781.
doi:10.1093/ije/31.4.776
HCS/490
February 24, 2014
Saeed Hamdan
The aging population demographic
There are many things that can happen in our lifetime. We can become rich or poor. We can get married, become divorced, or stay single. We can be graced with children or live a quiet life without them. We can climb the ladder of success at a large corporation, start our own business, become a tattoo artist, or follow any number of careers. There is one fact that we have no choice of. If we wake up tomorrow, we will be older. The average age for men in 2013 was 76 and for women it was 81 compared to 1963 when it was 66 for men and 73 for women. This is a good thing but we need to realize that today there is no population that is going to change the health care market more than …show more content…
the aging population.
The aging population is considered to be those who are greater than 65 years old, and they make up 12.9% of the current population of the United States of America (AOA, 2012). The Administration on Aging, AOA, is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and they have some interesting facts on the demographics of the aging population:
The aging population was 39.6 million in 2009
Expected grow to 72.1 million by 2030
The older population (65+) numbered 41.4 million in 2011, an increase of 6.3 million or 18% since 2000.
The number of Americans aged 45-64 – who will reach 65 over the next two decades – increased by 33% during this period.
Over one in every eight, or 13.3%, of the population is an older American.
Persons reaching age 65 have an average life expectancy of an additional 19.2 years (20.4 years for females and 17.8 years for males).
Older women outnumber older men at 23.4 million older women to 17.9 million older men. In 2011, 21.0% of persons 65+ were members of racial or ethnic minority populations--9% were African-Americans (not Hispanic), 4% were Asian or Pacific Islander (not Hispanic), less than 1% were American Indian or Native Alaskan (not Hispanic), and 0.6% of persons 65+ identified themselves as being of two or more races. Persons of Hispanic origin (who may be of any race) represented 7% of the older population.
Older men were much more likely to be married than older women--72% of men vs. 45% of women (Figure 2). 37% older women in 2012 were widows.
About 28% (11.8 million) of non-institutionalized older persons live alone (8.4 million women, 3.5 million men).
The growing aging population has caused quite the impact on the health care market. When you go to a hospital you don’t expect to see young healthy people, but the actual numbers are surprising. In 2010 the aging population accounted for three times the number of hospital stays that all other groups. The aging populations care was more expensive than the other groups, partially because the aging population stays at least 1 day longer than the other age groups (DHHS, 2012).
This change in the population is going to affect health care because as the aging population grows, they will take up more time with health care providers. This means that we will need more health care providers trained in how to take care of the elderly. Physicians may need to take courses on how to timely take care patients that are coming in with chronic diseases into the emergency room. Nurses may need additional training on how to start IV’s on elderly patients whose veins may be harder to access, or they may need to be trained on how often to check an adults diaper for wetness. This does not just mean more doctors and nurses. Employees in the billing department will need to be more fluent in charging Medicare. Patient registration staff will need to be prepared to help the elderly use the new electronic devices that may be available at registration. Even the cafeteria staff may need to be better prepared to serve food for a different population.
There are some other changes that we need to expect to see in health care with the aging population. The biggest change is going to be the shift from acute care to chronic care (Wiener & Tilly, 2002). An example that we will see in the emergency room will be patients that have not been managing their diabetic medication correctly, or who ran out of blood pressure medication a week ago and did not go get it filled. This compared to blunt head traumas or broken bones could be the new norm in the emergency room. Outside of the hospital, long term facilities are going to have to get prepared. If the aging population is expected to double by 2050, then nursing homes or other step down facilities are going to have to get prepared for the increase in patient load. Not only will they need more beds, but they will need to find more staff. Nurses are already in demand, and they will become even more in demand as the population ages.
Wellness programs are going to become a necessity for reducing the costs of the aging population. Most chronic diseases, which is what plagues the aging population, can be prevented or reduced by exercise. The American College of Sports Medication believes that exercise is necessary for the aging populace, and thinks that strength training can be used to reduce disease such as osteoporosis, and diabetes. They also support the idea that aerobic exercise such as swimming or running can reduce the risk of cardiac disease (ACSM, 2013). Having a wellness program is a way that hospitals and long term facilities can market their care to the aging population. Advertising about how wonderful the mother baby unit at a hospital will not target the aging population, if that is the population a hospital is targeting. However, providing a free wellness program including yoga, stretching, or walking classes for example, will not only market their facility but also show that they support the health care of their community.
It is the patients fault if they are overweight or in poor health. There are some things that we cannot avoid, but there are many diseases that we can. Patients need to be educating themselves now about how to prepare for the illnesses they may face as they shift into the aging population. Patients cannot expect to have their diabetes managed at age 65, when it’s been poorly controlled for the last 15 years, but, the community and society as a whole needs to realize that it is still our job to help take care of the elderly. One way we can do this is by being involved with their health care. This does not mean come to a doctor’s appointment once a year, but rather to encourage our elderly family members to participate in wellness. Coming over and cooking a healthy meal, with leftovers, or taking them to the park to watch their grandkids play baseball are good ways that we can be involved in the aging populations health care.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said “beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor was correct.
Art isn’t something that just happens, it is something that has to be worked on every day, and perfected. The health of the aging population is the same. Their health care is going to be the biggest part of the health care system in the next 25 years. The patients, the providers, and the community all need to work together to make sure that their health care is beautiful.
References
ACSM. (2013). Exercise and the older adult. Retrieved from http://www.acsm.org/docs/current-comments/exerciseandtheolderadult.pdf
AOA. (2012). Aging statistics. Retrieved from www.aoa.gov/AoAroot/Aging_Statistics/
DHHS. (2012). Profile of older Americans. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/AoAroot/Aging_Statistics/Profile/2012/14.aspx
UCBerkley. (1998). Life expectancy in the U.S. Retrieved from http://demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/figure2.html
Wiener, J. M., & Tilly, J. (2002). Population aging in the United States of America: Implications for public programs. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31(4), 776-781.
doi:10.1093/ije/31.4.776