Baby Boomers are aging picture: realestate.co.nz

Disability rates climb, according to CDA’s 2008 Disability Claims Review, and they are only going to go higher

In a press release, the Council for Disability Awareness reports that US private insurer claims for disability rose to $8 billion in the 2008. The Federal Social Security Disability benefits increased almost 6% to $91 billion in 2008.

Since disability is a natural consequence of aging this increase should be expected and predictable.

The Baby Boom generation is the largest demographic group in North American history. The unusually large numbers – 76 million American and 8.6 million Canadian – of children born in the post-WWII period are called Baby Boomers or just Boomers.

They have driven economic, political and social policies for the last fifty years. From the surge in the suburbs to pets you can blame it on Boomers.

Pent up demand for families and better post war economy contributed to a world wide population explosion. In war torn Europe and other areas, the boom started up to 10 years later.

David Foot in Boom, bust & echo 2000: Profiting from the demographic shift in the new millennium said that the Boomers are the strongest drivers of western economies. Demographics drives consumption and consumption drives the economy.

As Boomers age they develop disabilities

Baby boomers will soon increase the number of Canadians living with disability

While the media focus attention on children with disabilities for telethons and pity campaigns, only 7% of children have disabilities.

43% of seniors have disabilities and 56% of 75 year olds have disabilities.

Disability is a factor of aging. Knees and hips wear out, arthritis gets worse, hearing and vision fail. Childhood problems begin to revisit people such as post polio syndrome.

The Boomers are aging and the start of the wave is just passing 60 years old.

Politicians in Canada have been giving lip service the coming problem of Canada’s aging Boomers. Actual social policies are lagging the need.

The disabled in Canada are disenfranchised like gays and women were in prior decades. They have the lowest per capita incomes, they lack access to education, work and social activities. Their human rights are regularly abused since  people living with disabilities are seen to be politically powerless.

The situation is so bad that on PEI, the government cuts off support for the disabled after age 65. Students with disabilities on the UPEI campus are excluded by forcing them to park long distances from their class. Buildings are fire hazards for the disabled.

The activist Boomers are not going to sit back while politicians ignore their needs. The coming storm of disabled Boomers will be attracted to politicians with policies that meet their needs.