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I was born in '62 which puts me at the tail end of the boomer generation. I'm still too young to be a burden, but all those born before, say, 1953, could be shipped off to planet Ork.
Brush up on your na-nu na-nu all you older boomers.
The boomers just started turning 65 last year. His daughter (age 51) is the boomer.
Yeah you're right, but the problem will still apply to us boomers and our "caretakers" as we start to get toward the age of 70+, for some of us not all that far off. Of course there's many who will do without "caretakers" to a very ripe old age, but many boomers are ironically not in all that good health.
I was born in '62 which puts me at the tail end of the boomer generation. I'm still too young to be a burden, but all those born before, say, 1953, could be shipped off to planet Ork.
Brush up on your na-nu na-nu all you older boomers.
Yeah you're right, but the problem will still apply to us boomers and our "caretakers" as we start to get toward the age of 70+, for some of us not all that far off. Of course there's many who will do without "caretakers" to a very ripe old age, but many boomers are ironically not in all that good health.
And hasn't every generation gone through this ? It's not something new to boomers. Or am I missing something ?
The media is always trying to overly dramatize every problem or issue to the point where they seem to manufacture a 'new' crisis every day! Unfortunately, the media itself tends to cause more stress than life itself.
Take, for example, the huge, looming 'caregiver' crisis in this article. When you start to talk about 72-million boomers, it sounds like there can't possibly be enough caregivers to handle that load ... and that it will certainly wear-out the available caregivers. But, the last time I checked, almost every child (and their siblings) each had two 'boomer parents'... just like always! Additionally, the available healthcare and safety nets today are far better than those available to the 'boomers' when they were 'care-giving' their parents.
Of course, a major part of the stress today is compounded by the economic and jobs situation ... which is wearing everyone a little thin. But, as we all know, most of the problems facing us today are 'self-inflicted' by our illustrious politicians. In other words, there are cost-cutting solutions to the prevailing stress ... but, most seem willing to continue in pain, rather than consider those options.
The great number of 'boomers' coming online will certainly tax our healthcare and elderly social systems like never before ... but, why is that? I suggest that there are several root causes: (1) Wholesale abortions over the last 30-40 years have sapped the base of available taxpayers; (2). Our government has been 'borrowing and spending' Social Security payments as quickly as they are received ("Off Budget" of course) -- and leaving worthless IOU's in their place and (3) the unfunded give-aways and 'exchange-for-vote programs' must all be paid for at some point (regardless of what our politicians tell us).
My thought is that rather than finally address these very real problems, the next 10-20 years will see a growing, panic-driven support for "kicking these boomer drains on our society to the curb." (It won't happen for a while, because the boomers will still have the votes to postpone direct cuts.
And hasn't every generation gone through this ? It's not something new to boomers. Or am I missing something ?
You're missing something. Our post-WWII parents generally went into easily affordable nursing homes, though many of them didn't have stellar careers that led to stunning assets to pay for it. There wasn't any "assisted living"--they generally went from home to hospital to nursing home, end of story. Very little if any burden on others.
Previous generations aged at home and mostly died at home, or in hospital.
Today many elders cannot afford to stay in hospital or in nursing homes (they get kicked out when Medicare payments are used up) or in assisted living, and thus become a burden to their families who either help out or wind up abandoning them.
The boomer generation is different in every way than previous generations. The health insurance industry has really changed the game for them.
And what are you older boomer males going to do with Mindy? Have her bring you your prune juice and oatmeal?
She's for us younger boomer males.
Okay you can have her.
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