Did You Know?
More than, 10,000 people will officially hit senior status each day this year.
One in eight adults in America is a senior.
The US population will add one new senior every 13 seconds this year.
About 10,000 boomers will turn 65 every day. A boomer is a person who was born during the demographic post-WW II baby boom between the years 1946 and 1964.
This phenomenon will continue, every second and every day, for the next 18 years.
The senior population (65 and older) in 2030 is projected to be twice as large as in 2000, growing from 35 million to 72 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the total US population.
In the United States today, average life expectancy is just over 78. Boomers and older seniors are taking care of themselves and living rich, full, and in many case, healthy lives. But no exercise regimen, diet, or cosmetic procedure can reorder nature.
April 16 is designated National Healthcare Decisions Day to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for the last days of life. For ourselves, for spouses, and for parents, it’s important to have a plan for healthcare decisions related to end-of-life care and medical decision-making. This need becomes more imperative whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves. The use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions becomes necessary. For more information, visit http://www.vda.virginia.gov/advmedir.asp
Virginia’s statewide Advance Health Care Directive Registry (AHCDR) is also a good resource. The secure registry, available to all Virginia residents, stores documents that detail and protect health care wishes in the event a person is unable to speak for themselves. These documents include medical power of attorney, do-not-resuscitate orders and other health care wishes. For more information please log onto: http://www.vda.virginia.gov/ Advance Health Care Directive Registry.
Additional Resources:
¥ National Family Caregivers Association: http://caregiveraction.org/
¥ National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: http://www.nhpco.org/resources/end-life-care–resources
¥ Virginia Division for the Aging: http://www.vda.virginia.gov/links.asp
¥ Advance Health Care Directive Registry: http://www.vda.virginia.gov/
¥ Healthcare Decisions Day: http://www.vda.virginia.gov/advmedir.asp
