Southern Indiana Medical Directory 2023 | Page 13

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 - THE GRAYING OF AMERICA
with people 65 and older expected to number 77 million while children younger than 18 will number 76.5 million .
Voss , who has lived a full life from his youth in New Albany to his service in the 97th Infantry Division of the U . S . Army in World War II to his work and family life after military service , is now part of generations who are changing the demographics of the nation .
But , those demographic changes are also going to change the nation as we know it .
The Census report notes that “ this demographic transformation caused by a rapidly aging population is new for the United States but not for other countries .”
Japan has the world ’ s oldest population , it says , where more than one in four people are at least 65 years old . Its population has already started to decline and , by 2050 , it is projected to shrink by 20 million people .
Europe is headed down the same demographic path . Some countries in Western Europe have populations that are older than the U . S ., notably Germany , Italy , France and Spain . Countries in Eastern Europe are even further along and , within a few years , many of their populations are projected to begin shrinking .
But , this nation has been different , until now . The report goes on to explain :
“ Higher fertility and more international migration have helped stave off an aging population and the country has remained younger as a result . But those trends are changing . Americans are having fewer children
and the baby boom of the 1950s and 1960s has yet to be repeated . Fewer babies , coupled with longer life expectancy equals a country that ages faster . “ Although declining fertility plays a role , the driving force behind America ’ s aging is the baby boomers . As one of the largest generations in the country , boomers leave a substantial imprint on the population . They swelled the ranks of the young when they were born and then the workforce as they entered adulthood . “ Now , boomers will expand the number of older adults as they age . Starting in 2030 , when all boomers will be older than 65 , older Americans will make up 21 % of the population , up from 15 % today ( 2018 ).” The Census report cautions that “ With this swelling number of older adults , the country could see greater demands for health care , in-home caregiving and assisted-living facilities . “ It could also affect Social Security . We project three-and-a-half working-age adults for every older person eligible for Social Security in 2020 . By 2060 , that number is expected to fall to two-and-a-half working-age adults for every older person . “ If the trends continue , the U . S . is fast heading towards a demographic first . It will become grayer than ever before as older adults outnumber kids .”
The Census Report referred to in this story is called “ The Graying of America : More Adults Than Kids by 2035 ” and can be found on the Census Bureau website at census . gov / library / stories / 2018 / 03 / graying-america . html