The Life and Times of Baby Boomers
The Fourth
of Several Fears
Baby boomers (often
shortened to boomers) are the demographic cohort following the Silent
Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is generally defined as
people born from 1946 to 1964, during the post–World War II baby boom. The term
is also used outside the United States but the dates, the demographic context
and the cultural identifiers may vary. The baby boom has been described
variously as a "shockwave" and as "the pig in the python".
Baby boomers are often parents of late Gen Xers and Millennials.
Today there are 76,400,000
baby boomers out of 332,000,000 Americans.
Boomers are far and away the largest generation in American and by 2030
every single one of them will be over age 65.
The economic, social, and healthcare impact of this development is
enormous. Just as an example, there is
no person on earth who has a clue how Social Security and Medicare can be
financed for the Baby Boomer generation.
Baby Boomers harbor several
legitimate concerns about their future.
Near the top of the list is Osteoporosis. According to population projections from the
U.S. Census Bureau, there will be 76.4 million baby boomers (women and men aged
51-72) in 2021.. Studies show that one
in two women and up to one in four men over age 50 will break a bone due to
osteoporosis in their lifetime. Osteoporosis
is the most common bone disease in America.
28 million Americans are
affected by osteoporosis, 20 percent of them are men.
200 million people worldwide
have some level of the disease
$10 billion is spent each
year to treat osteoporotic fractures. By the year 2021, experts predict the
cost will exceed $60 billion.
These alarming statistics
clearly show that osteoporosis is not only a disease of global proportions but
also the bane of baby boomers. Taking a multi-disciplinary team approach, the
staff of the Hospital for Special Surgery ‘s (HSS) Osteoporosis Center is at
the forefront of responding to this epidemic.
According to Judith
Andariese, RN, Director of HSS Osteoporosis Center, "Those drastic
statistics can be changed. You can change your risk for osteoporosis by
following three simple steps: 1) Get more calcium and Vitamin D in your body.
2) Get more exercise in your life. 3) Get more knowledge in your world about
osteoporosis and your bones."
There is the old joke about
the young woman who gets her first job and buys a new car and fails to read the
owner’s manual. People of honest
endeavor differ on how often the engine oil should be changed in a car, but
there is a consensus around 5,000 to 7,000 miles. So, the young woman does not read the owner’s
manual and drives 25,000 miles without changing the engine oil, and is
surprised when the engine blows up.
So, it is with the human
body. The human body is infinitely
better engineered than any automobile ever made, but it does not come with an
owner’s manual. You must seek out information
to care for yourself responsibly. Here
comes but one exampl
"Calcium is like money,
it’s not just what you take in, it’s what you keep," explains Ms.
Andariese. Again, knowledge can make the difference. For example, depending on
age, we need 1000-1500mg of calcium a day. But our bodies can only handle about
500mg at once, so it is recommended that you take three doses a day.
Dairy products are vital
calcium sources. Mustard, collard, and turnip greens also are calcium packed.
So too are bok choy and kale. But do not rely on spinach. The oxalates in
spinach make its calcium "almost completely unavailable" according to
the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
People who fail to follow this simple guideline live to suffer a lower
quality of life in their later years.
Bone Density
Scan--Find Out How Your Bones Are Doing Now
Andariese continues,
"Osteoporosis has been called the ‘silent’ disease because the loss of
bone tissue progresses gradually without pain or signs or symptoms before a
fracture occurs. However, recent advances have given our specialists more ways
to detect the disease. The best test to determine the state of your bones is
called a DEXA. Available at the Osteoporosis Center, this is a low-level x-ray
measuring important bone sites. It is non-invasive, painless and takes about
twenty minutes.
At the Center, after the
test, patients have a one-to-one consultation with a Nurse Clinician. "We
go over the test results in detail," explains Ms.Andariese. "And
recommend a tailor-made bone health plan. People can ask all the questions they
want and get personal answers. Many patients have found this unhurried access
to a health expert deeply empowering."
Treatment Taking a
multi-disciplinary team approach, the staff of the Osteoporosis Center is at
the forefront of prevention and innovative treatment.
The best prevention strategy
is to start early. Acquiring peak bone mineral density levels before age 25 is
most important. During this period, weight-bearing activities such as walking,
running, dancing, and sports that require weight-bearing impact are essential.
Equally important is the daily intake of calcium (1300 mg) and Vitamin D (400
in) for both males and females.
For older adults, walking,
general strengthening exercises and activities such as T‘ai Chi, along with
falls prevention strategies are suggested to reduce the risk of fracture.
Several drug treatment
regimens are now available to reduce both the rate of bone loss and the risk of
fractures:
Bisphosphonate drugs, such
as Fosamax and Actonel will increase bone density and reduce the risk of
fracture. Fosamax also has been approved for use by men.
SERMS (Selective Estrogen
Receptor Modulators) such as Evista will also increase bone density and studies
have shown it to reduces the risk of fracture in the spine more than the hip.
Estrogens are still
considered to maintain bone density.
Parathyroid hormone
(teriparatide, known as Forteo) is an injectable treatment that enhances bone
formation.
Calcitonin (sold as
Miraculin) is a nasal spray formulation that modestly reduces bone turnover and
appears to decrease the incidence of spinal fractures. It is purported to have
some analgesic effects for acute spinal fractures.
The Osteoporosis Center at
the Hospital for Special Surgery is the preeminent facility in the world for
preventing and treating osteoporosis. The first of its kind, it was recognized
by Congress as a "model" for other organizations to follow.
About HSS | Hospital
for Special Surgery
HSS is the world’s leading
academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is
Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics for 11
years in a row and No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report
(2020-2021). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates
in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet
Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses
Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee
replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical
College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey,
Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York
State. In addition, HSS opened a new facility in Florida in early 2020. In
2019, HSS provided care to 151,000 patients and performed more than 35,000
surgical procedures, and people from all 50 U.S. states and 89 countries
travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the
field in research, innovation, and education.
The HSS Research Institute
comprises 20 translational research laboratories, 33 scientists, 10
clinician-scientists, 55 clinical investigators and 245 scientific support
staff that drive the HSS research enterprise in the musculoskeletal
“ecosystem,” neurology, pain management and rheumatic diseases. The HSS
Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs,
therapeutics, and devices. The HSS Education Institute is the world’s leading
provider of education on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning
platform offering more than 300 courses to more than 30,000 medical
professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is
collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the
quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more
widely accessible nationally and internationally.
We are all engineered
somewhat differently and have different needs.
Below are several resources to seek information that may be helpful to
you.
(All of these resources
listed are with the Hospital for Special Surgery)
Need Help Finding a
Physician?
Call us toll-free at:
+1.877.606.1555
Online request form
Media Contacts
Tracy Hickenbottom
Noelle Carnevale
212.606.1197
Social Media Contacts
Otis Gamboa
socialmediacontact@hss.edu
More News
HSS Newsroom
Press Releases
HSS in the News
Jan Ricks Jennings, MHA,
LFACHE
Senior Executive
Senior Management
Resources
JanJenningsBlog.Blogspot.com
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