Are you interested in learning about Baby Boomers and how to improve their quality of life? You are at the right place.

No one wants to live to a ripe old age, suffering in pain and unable to do the activities they once enjoyed. Unfortunately lot of Baby boomers are dealing with the effects of living longer.

Our quality of life is a crucial element of healthy aging.

We want to enjoy a round of golf, wrestle with the grandkids, and perhaps, even travel the world.

We certainly don’t want to waste our precious time sitting in the doctor’s waiting room or, worse still, bed-bound.

Who are Baby Boomers?

With the eventual end of World War II, soldiers were returning home to their families and wives.

These post-war years were a great time for celebrating and merriment.   Many of these wonderfully romantic reunions resulted in a substantial boom in the birth of babies.

Therefore, the term ‘baby boomers’ refers to the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964 (baby boomers years)

As of 2022, baby boomers range from 58 to 76 years old.

They are fast becoming a significant proportion of our population, especially in the western world.

In the United States of America, baby boomers now make up 21.45% of the population. Baby boomers are a significant group of people that drastically influence today’s society in many ways.

Due to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, many baby boomers retired earlier than planned.

In 2020 alone,  almost twenty-nine million baby boomers chose to retire.

According to the 2020 Census, there are at least seventy-three million retired baby boomers in America.

How will this affect society?

As one of the most influential generations, retiring baby boomers have a noticeable effect on today’s society.

• The Great Retirement refers to the prevailing trend of baby boomers retiring and leaving a noticeable gap in the workforce.
• Many businesses are now finding it challenging to recruit new employees with adequate experience.
• The increase in retired persons means an increased need for services such as retirement villages, senior citizens’ centers, education programs for seniors, and more health and rehabilitation clinics.
• Retiring baby boomers have created a need for new employment opportunities, such as luxury retirement villages catering to every need and providing around-the-clock assistance if necessary.
• There’s an increase in the need for home care services such as gardening, home maintenance, and persons who can provide in-home hairdressing, manicure, and massage services.
• Baby Boomer travel.

Travel companies that cater solely to retired senior citizens are sprouting up. By researching and understanding the needs and wants of the baby boomer traveler, they can offer tailor-made tours and cruises.

• The fitness industry.

Recently, more gyms and sports clubs are providing seniors with yoga, Pilates, line-dancing, stretching, aqua aerobics, and weight-lifting programs.

• learning new skills.

A key factor of healthy aging is keeping one’s brain active. There are many new community colleges aimed at expanding the minds of baby boomers with language classes, art, and music lessons, and computer and social media courses.

What are the main challenges for baby boomers?

Generally speaking, baby boomers are a fortunate generation. Perhaps spending their childhood post-world war has given them resilience and an appetite for working hard and reaping the benefits.

However, baby boomers still face specific challenges after retirement.

• How will you fund your retirement?

Baby boomers are retiring earlier and living longer, so their retirement period is substantially lengthier than their parent’s generation. While many baby boomers have planned well for retirement and are financially independent, many are not as fortunate. Life happens, and various life events, such as accidents or divorce, can lead to poverty and homelessness.

• How’s your health?

Today’s youth are much more educated in healthy living and embrace lifestyles such as veganism and keto. As for the baby boomers, a diet of meat and two veggies, tin soup, and processed foods was the standard American diet.  It’s difficult for many to ditch these old dietary habits. Hence, in the USA today, we are experiencing an epidemic of diabetes, arthritis, and many other lifestyle diseases.

• Where do you want to live?

Health issues or losing a partner can see the need for different housing options. Can you afford to move into a retirement communities like independent living or assisted living community?

• With poverty comes a lack of health services. Do you have adequate health insurance for any future medical emergencies? Can you afford that necessary heart surgery or hip replacement?
• Social isolation and loneliness pose serious health risks to anyone but are noticeably more prevalent in the elderly. According to the CDC,  the chance of dementia and other serious illnesses increases by fifty percent for someone suffering from social isolation. Losing a spouse and lacking family support are lethal to one’s well-being and health.

How will you spend your retirement?

Considering that you have efficiently organized your finances and are in reasonably good health, how do you plan to spend your retirement?

Will you take care of the grandchildren while your children are at work? Will you enjoy hobbies that you never had time for before? Will you return to school to learn a new skill, such as drawing or Spanish? Or, will you get out your dusty backpack, guidebook, and passport and embark on a world discovery tour?

In Conclusion

A successful retirement can be enjoyed by understanding the above issues and gaining the tools to deal with any bumps in the road.

By focusing on ways to enhance our mind, body, and soul, we can better achieve increased health and happiness.

Retirement can be exciting if you are well-informed and know what services are available for you.

With careful planning and preparation, your retirement options are endless.

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