"Written about and for that peculiarly interesting American cohort called Baby Boomers and their health care providers, this book’s title raises the interesting question of what will their old ages be like. Will the lives of the leading edge of Boomers, who begin turning 65 in 2011, be somewhat similar at age 80 in 2026 as they are today in 2005?
Before reading the book for that answer, readers should ask themselves these questions: "Will they be one of them someday – i.e., octogenarians, nonagenarians, even centenarians?" and "What type of system/services do you want in place when it’s your turn?"
The odds of making it to 65 and beyond are pretty good for the 76 million persons born between 1946 and 1964 plus the additional 1,000,000 immigrants in this country born during the same period. And if they can avoid the proverbial "Mack Truck," cancer and heart disease, there is little doubt they won’t make it to at least 90. So what do they need to do to get there, and what do health care professionals need to do to help them make that trip?
These questions and others were the backdrop to a series of meetings in New York City from 2001 to 2002 where Boomers, health care providers, policy makers, and academicians attempted to answer the question of what will their lives be like in their 80’s. The outcomes of the deliberations from these meetings resulted in this book by Drs. Helen Rehr and Joanna Mellor, two of the conveners of the series of meetings.
And with a preface and foreword by eminent gerontologists Drs. Rose Dobrof and Jeanette Takamura, readers will have their interests piqued to read the remainder of this book that covers the A to Z of aging for any cohort but which focuses on Baby Boomers.
Is there anything different about the physiology of aging of the Boomers and those who preceded them or those who will follow? The answer is, "no." What is different about this group of persons marching inexorably toward their own old ages is simply the sheer numbers of them. That "bolus" of one in five of all Americans over 65 moving through our society and the consequences of their use of health and human services will dramatically change the perceptions of aging. They will also live, love, laugh, and contribute in ways not seen heretofore.
So will the Boomers’ 80’s be like their 50’s? Not really but their 80’s will likely be different from the 80’s of their predecessors. That’s the take home message of this book. This notwithstanding, they will still need to do certain things that will increase the probability that they will have a better old age than previous generations: these involve expecting a good old age, knowing what they need to do to have one, availing themselves of the resources they will need, need and having the wherewithal to pay for it.
The Boomers will live longer than their parents’ generation, more will be single, they will have fewer children than previous generations, and they will be wealthier. Sooner or later, though, normal aging and some of the consequences of genetics and lifestyle will catch up with them. Thus, the lesson that geriatrics isn’t just for older people needs to be learned now.
What can they learn about their own aging and what arrangements will they make to have a better old age? For example, will they live in a place with "smart home technology" where any marked deviation in their routine activities of daily living can be noted and accessed via the Internet so their family, friends, and caregivers will know if they need assistance and get it to them before something more serious materializes. These types of questions are answered in this book. And in the first appendix, there is a very helpful guide to map one’s future aging. Everyone should work this exercise.
In conclusion, this book helps readers to realize that their 50’s need to be the time to intensify and sustain their efforts in the biopsychosocial, economic, and self-actualization/spiritual aspects of their lives so their 80’s will be a time during which they will continue to grow, continue to contribute, and continue to find joy." - Robert E. Roush, EdD, MPH, Director, Texas Consortium Geriatrics Education Center, Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
"The great value of this book is that it addresses policy concerns important to efforts of health professionals to meet the complex social-health care needs of growing numbers of older adults and their families."
- Barbara Berkman, DSW Helen Rehr/Ruth Fizdale Professor of Health and Mental Health Columbia University
"An illuminating, scholarly and timely work which provides policy makers, health, and social service professionals, and the ‘baby boomers’ themselves, with a remarkably readable book which informs, educates, and provides direction for shaping policy and practice for this most important group. It is an essential basis for future study and an important source of current information about the baby boomer generation."
- Gary Rosenberg PhD, Edith J. Baerwald Professor of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
M. Joanna Mellor, DSW, is Assistant Professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, New York. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Mellow was Vice President for Information Services at Lighthouse International, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Executive Director of the Hunter/Mount Sinai Geriatric Education Center. She has been an Adjunct Instructor at the Hunter School of Social Work since 1984. Dr. Mellor is author of several articles and editor/co-editor of five books, including Special Aging Populations and Systems Linkages and Advancing Gerontological Social Work Education. She is co-editor of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work and a past president of the State Society of Aging of New York.
Helen Rehr, DSW, DSc (Hon), is currently Professor of Community Medicine Emerita and Consultant on social-health research, education, and program planning to Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Medical center. She is the retired Director, Department of Social Work Services, the Director of the academic Division of Social Work, and Director of the Division of Continuous Education of the Brookdale Center of Mount Sinai. She has been active internationally in Israel and Australia, where she has held visiting professorships. Dr. Rehr is the author, co-author, and editor of more than a hundred published studies, reports, articles, chapters, and books and the recipient of numerous honors, including Distinguished Social Work Practitioner for the National Academics of Practice, the Knee-Wittman Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Ida M. Cannon Award of the Society of Hospital Social Work Directors, the American Hospital Association, and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of both Hunter and Columbia. Although retired from Mount Sinai in 1986, she remains active at the institution and in a number of professional and community organizations.
