Health, Retirement Needs Challenge an Aging America
[28 September 2004 - National Institute on Aging] The National Institute on Aging (NIA) gathered eminent researchers September 28 to discuss with journalists, �How can we prepare to meet the challenges of an aging population?� The answers, at least according to this NIA-supported group of leading social, behavioral, and economic scientists, will come from creative thinking and new approaches to some of today�s most difficult questions, such as the rise in health expenditures and major gaps in personal savings for retirement. The NIA is part of the National Institutes of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In just 7 years, the leading edge of the Baby Boom will reach its milestone 65th year. This �birthday� signals the rapid aging of the U.S. population, a time which will pose both challenges and opportunities for the nation�s health care system and the American economy. Today�s day-long media briefing, �Health and Wealth in an Aging America,� offered the latest findings and trends in important areas of research funded by the NIA. The wide-ranging session focused on health issues such as gender differences in health and the value of and variations in medical technologies. It also examined the relationship between health and wealth, the psychology of retirement savings, and ways to measure national well-being. ...