Baby Boomers Face More Health Problems Than Their Parents

They found that those now entering their 60s are more likely to have disabilities such as falling as a result of immobility, urinary incontinence, memory loss and dementia, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes. That data - gathered from studies performed over the last two decades - was seen as a foreshadowing of the trends facing Baby Boomers soon as they face their golden years. ‘If this is true, it's something we need to address,’ Teresa Seeman, UCLA professor of medicine and epidemiology and the study's principal investigator, said in the study. ‘If this trend continues unchecked, it will put increasing pressure on our society to take care of these disabled individuals. This would just put more of a burden on the health care system to address the higher levels of these problems.’ ‘It's discouraging that more people are disabled,’ Seeman said, because it can lead to an economic downfall. Seeman said more data must be looked at to determine a better solution to preventing such disabilities. The study will be published in the January 2010 issue of the American Journal of Public Health and was funded by the National Institute on Aging. Topper Helmers, 54, said he began going to the gym because he didn't like the way he felt and for personal reasons. His father died two years ago of complications of heart disease and diabetes. ‘My doctor told me I could be at risk of the same,’ said Helmers, who was working out with his wife Linda on the treadmills.”

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