Baby Boomer health care; medical community braces for 'Silver Tsunami'

MILWAUKEE - They are called Baby Boomers for a reason. That generation (born between 1946 and 1964) is the fastest-growing population of 65 and older. Even if that is not you, your health care could be impacted. 

"They don’t think that they’re old," said Mark Stiglitz, Aetna's Great Lakes chief Medicare officer.

CVS Health reports one in five Americans will be 65 or older by 2030. In the last 10 years, Milwaukee County saw a 22% increase in older residents. 

"Three out of five of those folks have two or more medical conditions, so that’s an incredible impact on our health and medical community," said Milwaukee County chief health policy advisor Ben Weston.

Silver Tsunami

Weston said there needs to be an increased focus on primary and preventative care. 

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"The aging population is going to explode," Stiglitz said. "These folks are going to have demands. They want to age in place. They want to get their health care in retail settings. They want it through telehealth."

Stiglitz said since the pandemic, 50% of seniors now use telehealth and retail health clinics. Older adults also want to age in the comfort of their own homes. 

Silver Tsunami

"We’re going to have to increase the population of in-home caregivers somewhere between 20-25% just to meet their needs, much less you or mine," Stiglitz said.

For those who prefer an assisted living facility, Mike Pochowski with the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association said there has been construction across the state – building new facilities to make sure there is enough space, but staffing is a different challenge.

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Silver Tsunami

"As these new facilities are being built or whatnot is trying to find adequate staffing for those facilities," Pochowski said.

No matter your age, the Boomers will be driving how you receive health care.