Aging Population

Introduction
America and most industrialized nations are confronted by the problem of an aging
population. An aging population poses various challenges to the healthcare system. The focus of
ensuring that the quality of life improves, together with an improvement in the quality of life,
remains a significant challenge. The challenges can only be addressed sufficiently through
structural reforms in healthcare. The reforms can only be undertaken through an identification of
the key areas that will be affected by an aging population. Research on healthcare challenges can
help assist in the formulation of policies that focus on improving the social and economic
wellbeing of elderly people.
Fiscal Pressures on the Economy
With an aging population, productivity in the economy is bound to decrease. An aging
population has various macroeconomic and fiscal effects. The aging population constitutes of
individuals who are going into retirement. Their productivity is low due to their advanced ages.
The implication is a decline in the growth rate (Anderson et al., 2012). Economic growth
increases tax revenues. With high tax revenues, the government is able to make appropriations to
the healthcare sector to cater to the healthcare needs of the general population. Funding pension
commitments is also easier when the economy is experiencing economic growth. Economic
growth is rooted in labor input and employment rates that characterized an economy. An aging
population affects labor force participation and productivity (Anderson et al., 2012). The decline
in the real incomes of young people could affect the economy negatively and, in so doing, affect
how the economy adjusts to the healthcare needs of the aging population. It may become

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increasingly difficult to fund a healthcare budget that is both extensive and high. Increasing the
level of foreign manpower can help address the challenges that the aging population poses in the
labor market. It is also important to plan for the employment of elderly people (Iwarsson, Wahl,
& Nygren, 2004). The labor laws and policies should be designed in a way that they remain
flexible and accommodate the needs of the elderly. In coming up with these policies, economic
growth can be strengthened, and the government can have the ability to confront problems that
come with an aging population (Czaja, 2019).
An Unprecedented Demographic Transition
The changes in the structure of the American population are rapid in nature. The US
healthcare system is expected to react to a number of healthcare-related issues. The first bunch of
baby boomers turned 65 in the year 2011. The healthcare costs are increasing, and the increase in
the percentage of the elderly also compounds the situation. By the year 2030, it is estimated that
that 20 percent of the American population will be aged over 65 years. The challenge is to
accommodate the needs of the aging population in spite of the rising healthcare costs. The
government is expected to come up with community-based services that help improve the
delivery of healthcare services (Jiang et al., 2008). The government is also expected to come up
with innovative approaches that replace the traditional approaches to dealing with the American
population. Encouraging healthy living and increasing preparedness is one of the ways through
which the government can confront the challenges that stem from an aging population. The
elderly should be encouraged to engage in various forms of physical exercise. Public
gymnasiums should be set up to ensure that the elderly get to exercise and, in so doing, lives a
healthy life. It is also important for the government to ensure that health care services are

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extended to people who have various chronic conditions. Individuals with conditions such as
cancer and hypertension should be encouraged to seek healthcare services in advance.
Increase in Mild Chronic Illnesses
The healthcare advancements in the past have meant that life expectancy has increased
over the years. People can live longer owing to the fact that they access healthcare services that
cater to their immediate needs. The prevalence of disability has also reduced. The disease
progression from chronic diseases to disability has also been tamed. The increase in ion mild
chronic conditions are set to increase, and this will create a high disease burden. The number of
cancer cases is expected to rise over the years (Iwarsson, Wahl, & Nygren, 2004). In addition, it
is also expected that diseases such as dementia will touch on a larger population. The resource
needs to cater to these health conditions is expected to increase substantially. The healthcare
system needs to integrate new technology. New technology will help drive down the cost of
extending healthcare services to the elderly (Jiang et al., 2008). It is also important to invest in
research. Research can help come up with new and innovative ways through which the country
can overcome healthcare problems that could potentially confront the economy. Research can
help come up with innovative ways of dealing with chronic conditions.
The Challenge of Ensuring the Wellbeing of the Aging Population
Public health systems have always focused on the identification of the leading causes of
death and analyzing the problems that affect members of various age groups. With life
expectancy increasing and people living longer, the healthcare sector must confront a new
challenge of ensuring that that the elderly enjoy a high quality of life (Jiang et al., 2008).
Successive governments in the United States have implemented various programs that seek to

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cater to the needs of the aging population. Medicare and Medicaid are two programs that stand
out. The government needs to implement policies that expand on health insurance coverage to
cater for the needs of the elderly in society.
Impact of the Aging Population on Families
Families are expected to make adjustments that cater to the aging population. The
economies of households may be affected in the future. They are expected to make provisions
that cater to the needs of aging parents (National Research Council, 2001). With the old not
being actively involved in the labor force, the young population is expected to make monetary
contributions to cater to the needs of the old. Making economic provisions might be difficult,
especially for the poor population. The government should, therefore, come up with policies that
focus on pension and retirement benefits. Individuals should be encouraged to save when young
to guarantee a stable retirement fund.
Conclusion
Overall, the aging population poses various challenges to the healthcare sector. The
public health sector must embrace the challenges and focus on overcoming them through
deliberate efforts. Collaboration between both the private and the public sector could be the key
to overcoming healthcare challenges that stem from an aging population. Instead of focusing on
the aging population as a burden, it is important to convert the aging population as a resource.

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References

Anderson, L. A., Goodman, R. A., Holtzman, D., Posner, S. F., & Northridge, M. E. (2012).
Aging in the United States: opportunities and challenges for public health.
Czaja, S. J. (2019). The Healthcare Challenge for An Aging Population: The Role Of
Technology. Innovation in Aging, 3(Suppl 1), S32.
Iwarsson, S., Wahl, H. W., & Nygren, C. (2004). Challenges of cross-national housing research
with older persons: lessons from the ENABLE-AGE project. European Journal of
Ageing, 1(1), 79-88.
Jiang, S., Cao, Y., Iyengar, S., Kuryloski, P., Jafari, R., Xue, Y., … & Wicker, S. B. (2008,
March). CareNet: an integrated wireless sensor networking environment for remote
healthcare. In BODYNETS (p. 9).
National Research Council. (2001). Our Aging World. In Preparing for an Aging World: The
Case for Cross-National Research. National Academies Press (US).