Over the past few centuries, advances in things such as plumbing,
science and medicine have allowed individuals to experience a
greater life expectancy. People engage in healthy behaviors such as
exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding tobacco
products which can all help to improve an individual’s life
expectancy. Between 1959 and 2014 the US life expectancy
increased from 69.9 years to 78.9 years; between 2010 and 2014
the life expectancy plateaued and then in 2014 it began decreasing
(Weiner, 2020). We have been seeing an increase in health problems
such as overdoses, alcoholic liver disease, suicide, and deaths caused
by illnesses related to high blood pressure and obesity in middle aged
Americans. Similarly, a lot of research has focused on increasing the
quantity but not the quality of life. A very common outcome that we
see in research articles is morbidity and mortality, and less frequently
quality of life which is more difficult to measure. The general increase
in life expectancy has increased the risk of disease, disability,
dementia and advanced aging prior to death (Brown, 2015).
Increasing life expectancy means that people will live long enough to
get more age related diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer,
dementia, disability.
So although we may get extra years added to the end of our lives
that does not mean that they are of good quality. I think that this is
one of the reasons that our society has a tendency to focus so much
on youth and beauty- the years that we have to spend as elderly or
senior is getting longer and we want to feel as young as we can for as
long as we can. Those who are Boomers consume more healthcare
services to preserve their quality of life; they visit the doctor more
often, they undergo cosmetic surgery, and attend physical and
occupational therapy to cure their aches and pains (Gigante, 2010).
Another reason individuals are so much likely to undergo procedures
that make them look young and youthful is because of media and
advertising; beauty is a measure of self and social worth (Honigman
& Castle, 2006).Negative stereotypes associated with aging makes
individuals more likely to enhance their appearance for personal and
professional reasons (Honigman & Castle, 2006).
References
Brown G. C. (2015). Living too long: the current focus of medical
research on increasing the quantity, rather than the quality, of life is
damaging our health and harming the economy. EMBO reports, 16(2),
137–141. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201439518
Gigante, S. (2010, February 22). How boomers will impact the health
care industry. CNBC.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from
https://web.archive.org/web/20130825194305/http://www.cnbc.c
om/id/35524106/
How_Boomers_Will_Impact_the_Health_Care_Industry
Honigman, R., & Castle, D. J. (2006). Aging and cosmetic
enhancement. Clinical interventions in aging, 1(2), 115–119.
https://doi.org/10.2147/ciia.2006.1.2.115
Weiner, S. (2020, February 7). What's in a number? looking at life
expectancy in the US. Harvard Health. Retrieved January 23, 2022,
from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/whats-in-a-number-
looking-at-life-expectancy-in-the-us-
2020020718871#:~:text=Breakthroughs%20in%20science%2C
%20strong%20economies,typically%20raise%20average%20life
%20expectancy.
