HEALTHCARE

Healthcare

Healthcare

Introduction

The American population is aging and in the coming years the country faces numerous challenges relating to the rapid growth of the aging population. According to Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, & Mather (2011), “There are 40 million people in the United States aged 65 and older, but this number is projected to more than double to 89 million by 2050” (p. 2). This proportion directly affects the economy and the health care system. As the Baby Boomers reach retirement age their medical needs increase, leaving medical facilities at a disadvantage. In this paper, we will talk about the problems facing the aging population as costs of healthcare rise while nursing staff is cut due to corporations trying to cut costs in long-term healthcare, particular challenges are indicated well as how these challenges affect the demographics of the aging population. This group of people responds best to particular marketing strategies, which will be described as well.

Body: Discussion and Analysis

According to Maestas and Zissimopoulos, “population aging is not a looming crisis of the future, it is already here”. When life expectancy rises and fertility declines the results are an aging population. Another issue of population aging is an increase of individuals surviving to live to an older age outgrowing the number of young people or health care professional's ability to take care of these older people. The impact of the aging population on the future standard of living may depend on how long people continue to work. Age-related health care declines and the reluctance of employers to hire and retain older workers is a serious cause for concern. Age distribution of the United States workforce took a dramatically shift in the last two decades and will more than likely continue to into the next 20 years (Maestas & Zissimopoulos, 2011).

Targeted Population

The aging population in the United States describes the population over the age of 65. History proves as a person grows older his or her medical needs increase. This in part is attributed to increased disability, decreased mobility, and a compromised immune system. When the Baby Boomers or Americans born between 1946 and 1964 reach retirement age or 65 the health care industry will be inundated with patients seeking medical attention. Assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals will be even more crowded and the medical staff needed within these facilities must increase.

Currently, a woman's life expectancy is higher than that of a man's. As this trend continues, women will make up the majority of the aging population. Another key demographic is that the majority of the aging population is between the ages 65 and 74. Americans are living longer than in previous generations, but those aged 74 and older make up a smaller portion of the aged population (Jacobsen, Kent, Lee, & Mather, 2011). The wealth or poverty levels of the aging population vary dramatically. Non-married older Americans tend to have a higher poverty rate than their married counterparts. “Among adults ages 65 and over, 40 percent of women and ...