When I think of aging, I know it is inevitable and its scares me a little (haha jk), but in thinking of
this discussion I think that we need to focus on everybody from the newborn, youth, to the adults
and the elderly people. Yes, we are currently focused on the baby boomers, but as they are
continuing to leave us and head to heaven, we need to focus on our life cycles to continue
humans. It is projected that the number of Americans ages 65 and older will nearly double from
52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060 (Mark Mather, 2019). We do need to address the issue of
aging Americans, medical spending for the elderly is continuing to rise, its estimated that elderly
spend $98,000 per year in healthcare spending (nber.org, 2015). Another interesting fact is that it
is estimated that the number of older aged adults 65 and over (77 million) will outnumber children
under the age of 18 (76.5 million) (Vespa, 2018). b We need to keep this number in mind as we
need to continue to grow our population while taking care of or aging population. We need to
focus on all ages moving forward.
The word Death itself makes people afraid, angry, and frantic. b The conversation is about
autonomy. For example, what makes life worth living, and if in keeping people alive for longer, we
are sealing them to a fate worse than death.
Modern medicine has done great things in extending the average life expectancy. In 1885 the
average life expectancy was just over 45 years. Today it is about 77. With these improvements, we
have also extended how we die. With extended life, we get to live longer but at the cost of our
autonomy. As aging occurs our ability to maintain autonomous weakens due to weakened mental
and physical health.
The senior citizens often end up in assisted living nursing facilities. Most of the time, against their
own decision, usually one of their adult children’s make the decision. Nursing homes consist of
scheduled meals, constant supervision, adult diapers, wheelchair-bound residents, and depressing
nights. Most people do not want this, they do not want to give up control of their own life and the
ability to see people when they want to and do the things that they want to. By us continuing to
extend life, and taking away the decision making of an end-of-life patient, we are often condoning
them to a life they would rather not live.
Population aging is a real and far greater threat to the planet than overpopulation, and the world
will have to adapt to it in the coming years. "In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, the population
of older adults is growing rapidly" (Mather, Scommegna, Kilduff, 2019). The aging of the
population will result in a watershed moment in human history. When compared to the working-
age population, the proportion of elderly people is increasing. Meanwhile, the growth of the
working-age population has been attributed to much of the economic growth over the last two
decades. As the number of consumers grows but the labour force shrinks, an increase in the
proportion of dependants will restrain growth. Domestic services personal services, health care,
tourism will account for an increasing share of GDP while paying a low wage. In the economy, the
targets of innovation and creativity are typically young people aged 25–40. They are both a force
that generates labour productivity and value and a force that consumes and enjoys services a
work of imagination. The fact that this force accounts for a small proportion of the total
population will stymie scientific and technological progress. Inflation rose in tandem with the
increase in the number of retirees. Higher wages will result from a decrease in the working
population combined with a significant increase in the demand for services. "Older adults bear a
disproportionate burden of disease and disability, making health a particularly pressing issue.
More than three-quarters of older adults in the United States have at least one chronic illness,
according to reports. (Wolff, Starfield, & Anderson, 2002) and 20% are chronically disabled
(Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2006). The declining birth rate and
immigration restrictions have slowed America's population growth in recent years. Currently, the
Covid-19 pandemic is exacerbating the US population growth trend. The situation described above
puts the United States at risk of population recession, which would result in a decrease in
population quality and a population imbalance like that of some regions and countries with high
levels of development around the world. Population decline can have a wide range of
consequences for development policy, social security, security, defence, and social life.
Furthermore, slow population growth may have a negative impact on the world's largest economy
in the not-too-distant future due to labour shortages and decreased demand for goods and
services.
Mather, M., Scommegna, P., and Kilduff, L. (2019, July 15). Fact sheet: Aging in the United States.
PRB. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-
united-states/
McLaughlin, S. J., Connell, C. M., Heeringa, S. G., Li, L. W., Roberts, J. S. (2009, December 14).
Successful aging in the United States: Prevalence estimates from a national sample of older adults.
OUP Academic. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from
https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/65B/2/216/639281?login=true b
Kliff, S. (2015, May 19th). “How Americans’ Refusal to talk about death hurts the elderly.”
Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2015/1/11/7517211/end-of-life-care
Mark Mather, P. S. (2019, July 15). Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States. Population Reference
Bureau: https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/
nber.org. (2015, June). Bulletin on Aging & Health: Medical Spending of the Elderly. National
Bureau of Economic Research: https://www.nber.org/bah/2015no2/medical-spending-
elderly#:~:text=Medical%20spending%20by%20the%20elderly,percent%20of%20all%20medical%20
spending.
Vespa, J. (2018, March 13). America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers/The Graying of America:
More Older Adults Than Kids by 2035. United States Census Bureau:
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/03/graying-america.html
