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 Alzheimer’s Disease. The prevalence of Alzheimer's among American
baby boomers will rise from 1.2% in 2020, when most boomers will be in their
60s and early 70s, to an astonishing 50.1% in 2050, when all the boomers will
be age 85.
Alzheimer's disease is
thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain
cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form
plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which
form tangles within brain cells.
There is currently no cure
for Alzheimer's disease. But there is medication available that can temporarily
reduce the symptoms. Support is also available to help someone with the
condition, and their family, cope with everyday life.
Although there is no known
cure, early diagnosis and treatment can lead to better quality of life. Stay
healthy with a good diet and regular exercise. Avoid alcohol and other
substances that may affect memory, thinking, and behavior.
Over a decade and billions
of dollars have been spent on research to find a cure for Alzheimer's, yet none
have thus far proved real clinical benefit. If the elusive cure for Alzheimer's
is not found soon, scientists estimate that by 2050 someone in the United
States will develop the disease every 33 seconds.
More than 28 million baby boomers will develop
Alzheimer’s disease between now and midcentury, and the cost of caring for them
will consume nearly 25 percent of the gross national product.
As the baby boomers with
Alzheimer’s age, there will be a shift toward more severe forms of the disease,
leading to greater Medicare costs. In 2020, the projected Medicare costs of
caring for baby boomers with Alzheimer’s in the community ($11.86 billion, in
2014 dollars) will be 2.1% of total Medicare spending.
By 2040, when the baby boom
generation is aged 76-94, the projected Medicare costs ($328.15 billion, in
2014 dollars) increase to 24.2% of total Medicare spending, according to the
new analysis
“The risk of Alzheimer’s
increases with age, and as baby boomers get older, the number of people
developing the disease will rise to levels far beyond anything we’ve ever seen
before,” said Maria Carrillo, PhD, Alzheimer’s Association Chief Science
Officer. “Fortunately, there is a pipeline of experimental therapies that have
the potential to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and perhaps even prevent the
disease. “
“However, public funding for
this research is extremely limited compared to the magnitude of the problem. If
we are going to change the current trajectory of the disease, we need
consistent and meaningful investments in research from the federal government
to ensure a more robust pipeline,” Carrillo said. “Where we have made
significant commitments – heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS – we have generated
effective treatments and prevention strategies, and reduced death rates. Now is
the time to do the same for Alzheimer’s disease.”
An Alzheimer’s Association
report released this year, Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer’s Disease: How
a Treatment by 2025 Saves Lives and Dollars, shows that the economic and health
care burden we face over next two decades could be greatly mitigated if a
treatment that delays onset of Alzheimer’s by five years is introduced by 2025.
According to the report, a treatment that delays disease onset could save $220 billion
within the first five years of its introduction. It would also cut the number
of people who have the disease in 2050 by 42% – from 13.5 million to 7.8
million.
Baby Boomer Alzheimer’s
Numbers and Costs to Skyrocket in the Next 20 Years at Alzheimer’s Association
International Conference 2015, Lisa Alecxih and colleagues from The Lewin
Group, Falls Church, VA, reported on a model of Alzheimer’s incidence,
prevalence and cost that was developed for the Alzheimer’s Association to
examine the current and future trajectory and economic impact of the disease.
The research team developed
models that chart the trajectory and economic impact of Alzheimer’s based on
the rate of new diagnoses, the number of people who will be living with the
disease, and the cost of medical and long-term care between 2015 and 2050. They
factored in the costs that Medicare pays for beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s,
mortality rates and the varying costs of caring for people in different stages
of the disease (mild, moderate, severe). Key findings include:
As stated earlier, the
prevalence of Alzheimer’s among American baby boomers will rise from 1.2% in
2020, when most boomers will be in their 60s and early 70s, to an astonishing
50.1% in 2050, when all the boomers will be age 85+. This means that by 2040,
more than twice as many baby boomers will have Alzheimer’s disease (10.3
million) compared with the equivalent age group in 2015 (4.7 million).
• When the first baby
boomers turned 70 in 2016, Alzheimer’s prevalence in their age group jumped from less than 1% among individuals ages 65-69
to nearly 2.5% among individuals ages 70-74. At the same time, the number of
Americans needing Alzheimer’s care and support will increase dramatically, with
huge cost implications for decades to come.
“The findings of this new
data analysis make it clear that the increased demand Alzheimer’s will place on
the health and social services systems over the next two decades, coupled with
the burden on those with the disease and their families, requires additional
investment by the federal government,” Alecxih said.
This data reinforces the
value of ensuring strong implementation of the National Plan to Address
Alzheimer’s Disease to achieve its goal of preventing and effectively treating
Alzheimer’s by 2025, Alecxih added.
What do we learn? We need to find a cure for Alzheimer’s
disease. If we do not do so, the pain,
suffering and financial strain on our society is almost too difficult to
comprehend.
Jan Ricks Jennings
Senior Executive
Senior Management
Resources, LLC
JanJenningsBlog@Blogspot.com
July 7, 2021
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