Each year, more and more Americans are joining the ranks of the “very old.” By 2011, according to the Census Bureau, nearly two million Americans had celebrated their 90th birthday, a three-fold increase since 1980. By 2050, the total is expected to reach nine million.
But the surge in the elderly population is hardly limited to nonagenarians. Senior citizens are America’s fastest-growing demographic. Last year, the oldest of the baby boomers turned 65, putting them officially on the government dole. By 2030, when boomers are fully grayed, a fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 or older. Around the same time, the population of “very old” people, 90 and older, is projected to experience a 71 percent jump, according to the Census Bureau.
http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/11/29/fiscal-cliff-social-security-medicaid/
I think now is the perfect time to concentrate of FIXING the skewed perception of older people (Stereotypes, ageism, etc.)
If we don't......what will happen to misrepresented 1/5 of the population?
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