Aging is inevitable. Every country in the world experiences the phenomenon of aging population whereby a certain generation of persons reaches its retirement age and gives way to a younger generation to take over the work force of that country. Aging population is faced by several challenges which accompany old age while at the same time offering opportunities to the other population in terms of service delivery and job creation.
Boomer Challenges
Boomer population in the United States of America is comprised of the citizens born between 1940s and 1960s after the Second World War (Holodny, 2017). This population is reaching its retirement age gradually, a process which is expected to continue up to the year 2029. The baby boomer population is facing several challenges when it comes to seeking health care services. One of the challenges being faced by this baby boomer population while seeking healthcare services is financial instability. The cost of getting healthcare services has been soaring over the years from the time the baby boomer population was brought forth to the world up to the recent years. The fear of retiring and directing all their saving to seeking quality healthcare then engulfs them and poses a great challenge to them.
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Another challenge being faced by the baby boomer population is the double task of caring for their own health and that of their aging parents. Parents to this baby boomer population are already aged and totally depend on their children to get the necessary healthcare services (Holodny, 2017). This is forcing the boomer population to commit themselves more to ensure their health as well as that of their parents is well catered for.
Old age health related issues accompanied by foreign diseases like obesity and high blood pressure is another challenge faced by the boomer population when it comes to seeking quality healthcare. These diseases require specialized kind of treatment which in turn means that they have to completely drain their accounts to get the treatment. This poses great danger to their post-retirement years.
Automation of labor force roles, rendering many baby boomers jobless is another challenge being faced by the US boomer population. The loss of job means that most of them will not have fully planned for their retirement. Thus, acquisition of quality healthcare services becomes a problem. This further complicates their situations which in some incidences lead to early deaths.
Provider Opportunities
Financial instability among the boomer population to access quality healthcare services is an opportunity for the healthcare service providers to start up financial institutions. This way, they will be able to offer these healthcare services to the boomer population on credit and get paid later through the boomers retirement benefits and with an interest.
The combination of the boomers health issues with those of their aged parents is an opportunity of the healthcare business to thrive (LeRounge et al., 2014). The number of patients seeking medical care in the hospitals goes high prompting the opening of more healthcare providing centers. Thus, the economy and financial status of the healthcare providers is boosted.
The onset of more complex diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cancer is another opportunity for the medical sector of the United States of America to advance and adopt more complex techniques to counteract these complex diseases. More research centers are put up all over the country which again acts as a source of employment to the US citizens.
Automation of most labor force roles is another opportunity which has greatly eased technological advancement in the United States of America (LeRounge et al., 2014). New and more complex machines are being invented as the world advances technologically. This has also been an opportunity for the healthcare services to be rendered more efficiently and in good time to save lives. Therefore, the aging boomer population in the United States of America is posing challenges to its citizens as well as thriving opportunities to others.
References
Holodny, E. (2017). 9 of the Biggest Problems Baby Boomers are Facing Right Now . (Online).Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomers-biggest-problems-now-2017-11?IR=T
LeRounge, C., Tao, D., Ohs, J., Lach, H., Jupka, K., & Wray, R. (2014). Challenges and Opportunities with Empowering Baby Boomers for Personal Health Information Management Using Consumer Health Information Technologies: an Ecological Perspective. 1(3): 160-181. Downloaded on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29546084
