Chesapeake 55+ Comprehensive Plan - page 25

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Action Area C: Access to Health Care Services
Background
The convergence of four key factors drives how the older population will impact U.S. health
care. Meeting these future health care challenges will require more resources, new
approaches to care delivery and a much greater focus on wellness and prevention. The key
factors include:
The significant change in the number of older persons
The prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing among older persons
Older adults have different needs and expectations than past generations
More medical services and technologies are available than ever before
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The dramatic increase in births between 1946 and 1964, dubbed the “Baby Boomer,” drove
many public services – particularly schools – to add capacity that wasn’t needed in the years
immediately following. However, for health care, the situation is different. While this population
will create a notable rise in demand for services, the demand will continue rather than drop off
because everyone – including Baby Boomers and the members of Generations X and Y that
follow – is living longer and with more chronic disease.
At the turn of the 20th century, just before Baby Boomers’ parents were born, U.S. life
expectancy was 47 years of age. In 2010 (the last year for which data are available), it was
78.7 – an additional 30 years of life.
People are living longer because of both lifestyle changes and advances in health care. For
example, fewer people smoke today than in the past. In the 1950’s more than half of men and
a third of women smoked cigarettes. By 2012, those numbers were down to 21% of men and
16% of women. Thanks to major advances in medicine, fewer people die at an early age from
heart disease and cancer. For example, the five year cancer survival rate improved from 50%
in the mid ‘70s (1975-1977) to 68% (2003-2009).
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62% of 50-to-64 year olds reported they had at least one of six chronic conditions
(hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer). Of Americans
65 and older, 80% have at least one chronic disease that requires ongoing care and
management.
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Since the biggest factors influencing medical spending are chronic illness and a patient’s level
of disability, the growing incidence of multiple chronic conditions will put increasing demands
on our health care system. The number of Americans with diabetes is expected to rise from 30
million today to 46 million by 2030, when one of every four Baby Boomers will be living with
this chronic disease. These diabetic Baby Boomers will require continuous medical
management in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
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