How Baby Boomers Will Affect the Healthcare Industry
Baby boomers are causing one of the biggest demands the health care industry has ever seen. They are defined as anyone born between the years of 1946 to 1964, during a rapid population increase called the “baby boom” after World War II. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that there are currently 76.4 million people in this category. For the next twenty years, 3 million of the baby boomers will reach retirement age for each year. By 2030, one in five Americans will be a senior citizen and with aging comes inevitable illness and increased long term medical needs. There is no doubt that this will have a notable impact on the health care industry.
The medical practice of caring for a senior is known as geriatrics, and while there are tenets of this practice that are unique to the field, the basic elements can be used by any practitioner to ensure they are giving their patient the best care possible. Medical students today are being prepared to treat a wide variety of illnesses amongst a more diverse population than ever before. Older patients are a major portion of those who will be seeking medical care in the future. Medical students in all fields should be well-versed in the various chronic conditions that can befall seniors today.
However, the need for medical assistants and doctors to focus their care solely on seniors is growing. Researchers declared that there is “a clear need for policies that expand efforts at prevention and healthy lifestyle promotion in the baby boomers generation.” Medical students will need to learn how to discuss preventative measures with elderly patients. While this population will present some serious challenges to the medical field, it also will create great opportunities for employment. In order to prepare us for “baby boom doom,” we really need to focus on training medical workers, and lots of them. Having a committed and educated workforce will be the key to keeping things running smoothly in the next twenty years.
Baby boomers are getting older, and more and more people are in need of medical assistance. At Lamson Institute in the San Antonio area our Medical Assistant diploma program will assist students in starting their new career in the medical field. With Lamson’s informative program, you will be prepared to begin your career in Allied Health, as a Medical Assistant in no time! So what are you waiting for! Call or click today for more information.