The Scariest Part About Aging

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/scariest-part-about-aging



My grandmother was about as Old School as you can get. She was a true Southern lady, a clubwoman who was all about decorum and propriety, and as such, wasn't a fan of new-fangled ways. (She wasn't such a fan of Jim Crow, either, but hey, we all live with our contradictions.) I always got the feeling that given her druthers, she'd go back in time, not forward. So it didn't really come as a surprise when, on 1 January 2000, at age 92, while sitting at the dinner table, my grandmother lowered her head to her chest and quietly left us. I like to think that this was her choice, that she took a look at the upcoming millennium and said "eh, no, thanks".

I know now that my grandmother was one of the lucky ones. Though the last 10 years of her life were spent in a fog of dementia, she was able to live out her years in the house she'd built with my grandfather, in comfort, with round-the-clock care. My mother didn't want to put my grandmother in a nursing home, and we were fortunate that we didn't have to. It wasn't cheap and it was far from stress-free, but somehow my mom did it.

Millions of other Americans aren't so lucky.

Anyone who's been paying attention knows that we are a rapidly aging population. According to th e Administration on Aging, between 2010 and 2030, the numbers of Americans aged 65 and over is expected to grow by 75%, to over 69 million. By that time, thanks to the Baby Boomers, the numbers of aged will jump from 13% of the population to 20%. We're getting older at a rapid rate, we're living longer – and we're getting poorer. According to a recent report released by the Kaiser Foundation, 1 in 7 seniors lives below the poverty line. (It used to be 1 in 10.) And in certain areas, the number of impoverished elders is much greater. In Washington DC, my hometown, 1 in 4 seniors live in poverty; 1 in 5 are poor in California.

Of course, most of us are hoping to live to a hearty old age, living independently – and buoyed by an equally hearty 401k. But the older you get, the more things fall apart – knees, hips, cognitive function – and the more likely you are to need assistance. The reality is, 70% of Americansaged 65 and older will need long-term healthcare at some point. For some, living independently won't be an option; moving in with family might not be an option, either. Problem is, for the vast majority of the middle class, the other choices facing the elderly pretty much suck.

[yeoman6987]

1. Raise Social Security by doubling everyone's check

And in certain areas, the number of impoverished elders is much greater. In Washington DC, my hometown, 1 in 4 seniors live in poverty; 1 in 5 are poor in California.


We can do that by lifting the cap. That should be the first thing we do. The second is that I am saddened that the most progressive areas of our country have the highest amount of poverty. How the hell does that happen and why do we allow it? I am depressed about reading about DC and California two areas with a Democratic ruling.

[pipoman]

2. disallowing transfer of wealth

Many seniors 'living in poverty' transfered their wealth to their children several years before they need assistance. Having been in geriatric health care I have seen this many times. .parents on medicaid in a nursing home and the kids living well on the wealth of the parents.

[Skidmore]

3. Yes.

I've seen this too.

The degree to which American society has become comfortable with discarding and abandoning the elderly always astounds me.

[Demit]

4. A small point—

It's not "thanks to the Baby Boomers" that the number of aged will jump. It's thanks to their parents, the 'Greatest Generation', who came home from the war & procreated like bunnies.

Wasn't exactly our choice. Give credit where credit is due

[xchrom]

5. i prefer to never, ever -- not ever -- think of my parents procreating like bunnies. nt

[reformist2]

6. A congressional investigation into the outrageous cost of nursing homes is needed.

Obviously an elderly person and his or her family are not in a great negotiating position when the time comes to consider assisted living care. That's how these places can demand every nickel and dime the senior citizen has - and then get every nickel and dime. I know for a fact of a case where a nursing home demanded all the social security payments of one senior citizen in order to be admitted, but also all the veteran's benefits of her husband as well. And they got it. The word extortion comes to mind.