Legislation such as “The Older American Act” has not kept
pace with a growing elderly community. The facts are:
1 in 3
Americans are older than 50
in 15 years
1 in 5 will be older than 65
average
life expectancy is now 79 years
more than
50% of people older than 65 have two or more chronic illnesses
this group
of people averages 8 prescription medicines to manage
there
circle of supportive friends is shrinking.
Aging Families
Families grapple with decisions regarding parents, grandparents
all living longer but not with quality lives. Moving from a home of many years
to a independent living facility is traumatic and confusing. This is especially
so with chronic illnesses draining the energy every day. Refitting an older
home to accommodate people with disabilities is costly. What are the costs:
1/3 of
monthly payment is for rent
2/3 goes to
“service charges”
meals
cleaning
garage
some
transportation
medication
management
daily
security checks
Grand total
is conservatively $6,000 per month ($72,000 per year)
What can we all do to help parents and grandparents and
ourselves avoid these ever increasing costs. FIRST, older means wiser, it does
not have to mean old age.
By investing in our Health Portfolio now we can stay active,
slow the slope of the aging process, and increase our shelf life.
To slow the process and and decrease the slope we need to do
the following:
be active
and exercising mindfully every day
work
smarter now
eat better
weigh
appropriately
learn nutrition
use our
minds every day
increase
our mental strength as well as our physical strength.
Starting now may make the alternate living arrangement
obsolete or only a short time. It is never too late to change and be healthy.
Dr. B
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