Are Baby Boomers Doomed to Disability?

Report: Disability on the Rise for Americans in their 60s

(WebMD)  Baby boomers are entering their 60s just in time for a new trend: disability.

One in five 60-somethings need help with basic daily activities -- up from 13 percent just a decade ago. Various disabilities are up 40 percent to 70 percent in 60- to 69-year-olds, UCLA researcher Teresa E. Seeman, PhD, and colleagues find.

Seeman's team analyzed federal disability data collected from people over age 60 in 1988-1994 and in 1999-2004. The most recent data therefore captures only a few of those born during the baby boom of 1946-1964.

But the trends bode ill for boomers.

"Our results have significant and sobering implications," Seeman and colleagues say. "To the extent that persons currently aged 60 to 69 years are harbingers of likely disability trends for the massive baby-boomer generation, the health care and assistance needs of disabled older Americans could, in the not so distant future, impose heavy burdens on families and society."

Compared with those surveyed in 1988-1994, 60-somethings surveyed in 1999-2004 were:

70 percent more likely to have difficulty walking from room to room, getting in and out of bed, and/or eating and dressing.

70 percent more likely to have difficulty doing chores, preparing meals, and/or managing money

50 percent more likely to have difficulty walking a quarter mile and/or walking up 10 steps without rest

40 percent more likely to have difficulty stooping, crouching, or kneeling; lifting or carrying 10 pounds; and/or standing from an armless chair.

Not surprisingly, given the ongoing obesity epidemic, people who entered their 60s from 1999 to 2004 were much more likely to be obese, to have a too-large waist size, and to get less exercise than those who turned 60 from 1988-1994.

Disability was significantly more likely among obese or overweight 60-somethings and among African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans. But neither health status, health behavior, race or ethnicity -- taken separately or together -- fully explained the trend toward more disability.

Seeman and colleagues report their findings in the American Journal of
Public Health, published online ahead of print on Nov. 12.

[Sloughfoot]

All this can be attributed to global warming.

[DearSigmund]

Hey Mapjo, good to know where you're coming from. You singled out McCain for a special sweetheart deal on health insurance, but you forgot to mention that it's the same deal Reid and Pelosi have. No one would want to accuse you of being biased.

[SunDog8259]

Not just "Baby Boomers" but everyone is at risk that eats SAD (Standard American Diet). When I realized I was becoming morbidly obese and a type II diabetic with high BP all while eating as the food pyramid recommends. I changed things, went low-carb, lost 50 pounds and now I am stronger at 60 than I ever was at 40 and healthier to boot. Sugars and starches of all types, even in moderate amounts can slowly kill you!

[us_1776]

These things are the direct result of the junk fast-food industry. Baby boomers have consumed steady diets of double-burger, extra-large fries and supersize sugar drinks and the result is a tremendous toll on their health.

[mapjo11]

John McCain and other congressional leaders get unlimited healthcare for $503/year. Do YOU? Fight back. Sign the petition to protest at: http://bit.ly/2nrapo