Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

The View from Here: Campbell resident Jean Charet, 88, attended an informational hearing on the long-term care of the baby boomer generation held at the Cupertino Senior Center Oct. 29. State Rep. Elaine Alquist spoke. The event was attended by approximately 65 people.




California officials address aging baby boomer population concerns

Future seniors have chance to reshape the aging process

By George Moore

The 76 million Americans categorized as "baby boomers" have reached an age at which their future health-care needs are becoming a concern. But the boomers, defined as everyone born from 1946 through 1964, have a chance to redefine the meaning of long-term health care in America.

The first statewide informational hearing on the long-term health care of aging baby boomers and their role as informal caregivers was held Oct. 29 at Cupertino's Senior Center. Hosted by state Rep. Elaine Alquist and joined by a select committee of speakers, the event focused on California's challenges and opportunities related to the baby boomer population.

Alquist said the state needs to evaluate the job it is doing to provide care for the elderly.

"I'm 57 years old, and people in my generation need to be thinking about their elder years," Alquist said. "People my age and younger do not typically save money. They're used to getting what they want, when they want it."

Speaker Dr. Jeanne Bader of California State University at Long Beach addressed the challenges and opportunities baby boomers face. She said a large number of people with disabilities will live well into their older years for the first time in history, and the boomers have the ability to change the image of aging by preventing acute diseases and managing chronic disabilities.

Dr. Linda Hewett said baby boomers represent 29 percent of the nation's population. She said women are two to three times more likely than men to face financial difficulties, have less access to health care, live alone and provide informal care as they grow older.

Hewett said that when one becomes a caregiver, he or she can lose productivity, which can average $34,000 in lost income annually. This could increase the challenge for a middle-class family to pay for the care of an elderly family member suffering from Alzheimer's disease, she said.

Jodi Cohn is a community liaison for Senior Care Action Network in Long Beach, a social Health Maintenance Organization demonstration project sponsored by Medicare, which provides care options for those 65 and older.

"Many elderly have a great fear of entering nursing homes and spending all their savings," Cohn said. "This social HMO offers supportive services at their homes."

Of the 50,000 members enrolled, 95 percent are able to stay at home. Cohn's hope is that the program becomes an ongoing, permanent part of Medicare.

"It provides people with autonomy and offers them a viable option," she said.

According to Robert MacLaughlin, chief deputy director for the California Department of Aging, the challenge for health and social service agencies is shifting from the aging person to the informal caregiver. MacLaughlin said there will be one-third fewer informal caregivers by the year 2040. He said California is ahead of other states in understanding the importance of this type of care, and that its future depends on a difficult, yet delicate balance of innovative ideas.

There is greater ethnic and educational diversity among baby boomers, who may redefine old age in terms of productivity, said Lora Connolly, assistant secretary for aging and long-term care at the California Department of Health and Human Services.

"Baby boomers want it all," Connolly said. "They want a friendly, home-life environment in their later years, but don't want to pay for it."

She added that the government is hoping boomers will want to direct their care themselves. About half of them expect the government to provide health care services, which means the other half are looking to other options like long-term healthcare insurance, she said. Connolly said people may have problems covering the costs of the premiums. Most pay with their discretionary income, but the percentage of those with this income is shrinking.

Connolly said predictions about the choices and flexibility of long-term care are murky at best, but people should be encouraged to look ahead and plan for future care needs. She suggested that people visit www.calcarenet.ca.gov, a resource designed to help find facilities and services for the aging and elderly.

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