Baby Boomer and Health Care - Free Essay Example

The change with the aging population has never been so high as before. As the demographics of the aging populations continues to grow society will be seing thesome growing pains. The cause for the aging population is due to the amount of baby boomer in this generation . The term baby boomers are people who were born from 1947 to 1964. These people were born doing the post-world war II baby boom. The impact of the baby boomers will be mostly felt in healthcare. With the aging population most of the population most of them will depend on medicare to cover health concerns , which will imact everyone in the united state. The demographic of the aging pouplation will also create a demand for more health care professionals. They will more needs for geriatric experts including physical therapy, and mental helahtcare workers. Those are profession who will end up neededing workers in the near future and it will only expand even more. The pupose of this paper is to dicuss the demographic imp act of the aging population in Chicago illinios. The paper will dicuss The numbers related to the demographic population in Chicago Illinois. The impact of this demographic group on health care costs and services in Chicago’s community/region. The paper will discuss the major issues this population faces such as how will they pay for long-term care? What transportation is available and what other types of facilities are in their area?. and finally the paper will cover What is being done to ease the impact of the identified issue and future recommendations. demographic impact of the aging population in Chicago illinios In the Chicago community balancing the budget is already difficult do to the current recession in over the next decades the cahlleges will get even worst the budget will become even larger. The first round of babboomers was eligible for retirement benefits social security in 2008 and will be eligible for medicare beginning of 2011. Managaging the budget ef ficiently should be a very important goal for law makers because later on most of the nation will be threaten. With the baby boomers becoming eligible for service such as social security, medicare and other government assistance . because of the aging population services will be cut for those who are not eligible for retirmane or medicare . government services will decrease because the federal government will face more challenges and a much higher budget. Cutting services in some regions in Illinois is going to increase the poverty rate. Regions such as the south side of Chicago over 50 percent of the population are relying on government assistance such as Medicaid,cash assistance, housing/shelters, WIC and Food assistance. With the aging population some of these services will be cut and the to be eligible for some of these service will become much more difficult. The impact of this demographic group on health care The healthcare field is definitely going to feel the the impact o f the aging population. The number of healthcare professionals will decrease as they age and most of them retiring at the same time or reducing their working hours. healthcare employers will find it challenging as some of their most reliable and knowledgeable employees are retiring. The aging of the population will greatly affect some of the skills and services the health care workforce must be equipped to provide, and the settings in which this care is provided. Theres already a shortage for healthcare professionals such as, Physicians, Nurses and other healthcare providers. The aging population is one of the cause for such shortages. With that beind said quality of care will worsen because not that many people is attending nursing school or medical school with the babyboomers retiring the healthcare workers who are left are going to be handling a work load of three nurses instead of one. One of the question often ask is who will take care of the aging population and who will pay for it. Older adults has more chances of getting ill, with health disease,and other chronic deseases. The aging population place more pressure on the Medicaid, medicare and pivate insures to contro healthcare cost. The federal government is know where near ready when it come to figuring out the best way to care for the aging population. The aging population will aso reslt risng average paetin acuity, this will rewuire a higher nurse and physician staffing levels . it has beend said the future elderly may lower the disability rates than todays elderly controlling for age, that because it has been much of improvements in economic resources, medical technology education levels, public helath, lifestyle, and medical technology. The numbers related to demographic population in chicagos/region As the aging population know as the baby biimers move to retirement most of the population will skyrocket nationally not only in chiago Illinois the aging population was 12. 4 percent in 2000 by the year 2030 it will rise to 19. 7 percent that huge increase. In Illinois the aging puplation was 12. 1 percent in 2000; it is projected by 2030 it will become 18 percent. By the year 2050 seniors ages 85 and up will triple by the year 2050 nationwide which will cause nursing home impact. The number of persons 60 years of age and older in the state of Illinois is expected to increase from 2 million today to over 3. 6 million by the year 2030. With the agingpopulation most of them will end up having to receive long term care. Medicaid nursing home patients will continue to grow and the people paying for these baby boomers long-term care are working citixens. With that being said long-term care liabilities will increase even more. More seniors will start incorporating into community care program, and the cost to stay in the nursing home will increase. Metlife stated in 2006 to 2007on average a 3 percent increase in nursing homw cost by the year 2020 this number will tripl e. the aging population will not only impact citizens it will also impact state Medicaid, prescription drug, and aging programs. The aging population will cause high cost and higher demand of longterm/Medicaid, it will increase programs the Chicago region has for the elderly and loss of revenue because of senior tax breaks. The major issues the aging population faces One of the issues the aging population faces is not having enough resourseces or medical staff for care. With so many elderly on demand for care medical staff are going to be over worked which can lead to medical erros occurring. The weigh time to see a doctor will also increase ibecuase theres big demand for for care but not enough supply to go around. Transportion will also be a major issue the aging population iwill face specialy in the south side of Chicago half of the aging individuals are already without a vehicles. The Illinois department of aging report the major issues the aging population will face in Il linois is shortage of affordable housing, accessible housing, Longer wiat time for transportation pick up. They will face lack of Reliable and safe transportation. Most of the hospitals are far away from the south side of Chicago because of the high crime and violence i. b with hospital being so far away elderly will suffer and it may be to late by the time they make it to the hospital.