Many people are starting to notice – The Center for Retirement Research
I’ve written before about my concern about the focus of many population reports on the 65+ population as a whole rather than dividing the group between those 65-84 and 85+ years. This distinction is due to two main reasons: the different amounts of care needs and the habits of the people in the two groups.
Disability (for most) starts at 85
The younger Cohort, despite some pain and suffering of old age, is great and great to take care of. It is only after the age of 85 that the likelihood of needing help for a cognitive or physical disability really increases.
The public administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services (recently completed the reorganization of the Trump Administration) reported that people aged 85 + need more home care than those aged 65-84. Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 20 percent of older adults need help with activities of daily living compared to 5 percent of older adults.
Living living styles
The conditions of the people of these two groups are also different. The 65-84 age group is currently growing rapidly due to the large number of baby boomers who turn 65 every day. This pattern will continue for just a few years with the youngest Baby Boomers, born in 1964, turning 65 in 2029.
That’s about the same time that the growth of the 85+ population will accelerate as the oldest baby boomers, born in 1946, will be approaching their mid-80s.
Elder cares for Crunch in southern California
Many people began to see the real reason. Writing from within Orange County RegisterAndre Mochard notes that “[o]ver the next decade, the number of people age 85 and older living in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties will jump more than 72%. ” Other media outlets of all shapes and sizes also pick up on this story, from Oswego County Business at Selling at The New York Times.
Orange County Register Mochard points out that given the high cost of senior care, many of these seniors will not have enough money, or private insurance, to pay for their long-term care. “
And with the reduction of Medicaid in the “Good Bill,” there may be less money to pay for care, especially home care. Mochard tells us about a 58-year-old local resident who is being paid by Medi-Cal (the Medifordia Medifoid plan) to care for his 90-year-old father-in-law.
Many analysts fear that such programs will be cut as states respond to federal Medicaid cuts of $1 trillion over 10 years. As the policy institute Urban-Brookings tax Center explained, while Medicaid integration of Handled Home Care is mandatory, home care coverage is voluntary and may be on the chopping block as states seek to cut their costs.
“Super” adults?
The entire nation will face an aging population starting in just a few years, not just Southern California. Perhaps Mouchard’s use of the word “super” seniors to distinguish those 85+ people from the younger seniors is the kind of approach needed to convince many policy makers.
For more from Harry Margolis, check out his aging in danger at America Blog and Podcast. He also answers consumer estate planning questions at Askharry.info. To stay current on the low-profile blog, join our free email list.
