Doctors need to be active in designing the future of medical practice including lobbying for the necessary funding needed for other options if the doctor is interested in pursuing a subspecialty. In thirty years there will be double the number of Americans over the age of 65 than there are today. This will represent a larger proportion of the population as well. Significantly there will be a change in the sociodemographic makeup of older adults. There will be a shift from whites to Hispanics in the general population and this will be reflected in the elder population as well.
Women are a majority of elders.
Older Hispanic women have lower median incomes. Older people are more prone to chronic diseases. Lower socioeconomic status seniors are at risk for poor health and are less likely to have health insurance, depending on government coverage. This could lead to increased pressures on society to support the growing elderly and ill population. However, the authors report that there are factors that can reverse poor health in older people.