Is the Baby Boomer Generation not going to get good care?

[Cola89]

You know, when all these Baby Boomer aged health care professionals finally retire, do you believe the next generations will be enough, to 'care' for the Baby Boomers, such a huge generation of people?

Also, do you think that the percentages of young students going into and sticking with nursing is as high as in earlier days?

There are so many other ways to make money, and with all of the cut backs and the unforgiving nature of nursing, do you forsee a big problem with getting adequate numbers of nurses to staff facilities?

[Jules A, MSN]

Wow. Talk about judgmental. Your post certainly is full of human kindness. Let's make sure we judge other peoples choices too. You are also paying for costly wars and for financial bail outs and your taxes cover lots of other things. Hopefully by the time you need a costly procedure paid for by Medicare you will have learned some humility.

I didn't interpret KatieMIs post as unkind or judgemental rather fairly matter of fact. Since you asked I'd also guess she isn't too keen on financing wars or financial bailouts either but then again maybe I'm projecting my opinion so I should only speak for myself.

Telling someone to learn humility and predicting a costly health care condition because you disagree with their opinion might be considered unkind and judgemental.

[Susie2310]

I didn't interpret KatieMIs post as unkind or judgemental rather fairly matter of fact. Since you asked I'd also guess she isn't too keen on financing wars or financial bailouts either but then again maybe I'm projecting my opinion so I should only speak for myself.

Telling someone to learn humility and predicting a costly health care condition because you disagree with their opinion might be considered unkind and judgemental.

Hello Jules; to aid you I have re-posted Katie's comment below. How unfortunate that you conflate opinion with fact and judge other people so harshly too.

6:17 pm by KatieMI, BSN, RN

"Yes, it is a human "nature" to make bad choices. It is not a "nature" of society to support such choices, and the society has only limited responsibility to deal with the results of such choices. The phrase "I just made some poor choices in my life" is not known anywhere outside of the developed world. Everywhere else, it is still jungle's law. Sorry, but so it is.

Boomers (as well as indigent and minorities) receive the same care as everybody else and then even some more of it. 90+% of patients who are in waiting lists for organ transplants are in Medicare/Medicaid - that means, we are paying for these extremely costly surgeries, supportive treatments, chronic life support, etc. At least the good half of the patients in these lists got there because they "made some poor choices" in their lives and now fully expect someone else to pay for that, not mention someone young and healthy to die so that they could continue to enjoy their lives. Whoever comes to ER gets all the help available, however costly or futile before anything else is checked - including displaced, minorities and even illegal immigrants.

I am pretty much sure that the next generation following the Boomers will be even a bigger pickle because it ould be the first one encompassed by several problems, including widespread substance abuse and other chronic therapies (nobody can predict how a human brain would react on 30 - 40 years of artificial limiting of cholesterol synthesis, accounting for the fact that human brain mostly consists from water + cholesterol, for just one example). Those of us who are still in their 30th or 40th can very well avoid the gloom by taking general good care about themselves, following principles of preventive medicine and avoiding those ubiquitous "poor choices" , about which we all know."

And if you try reading my words closely; you'll see I didn't ASK any question about wars, financial bailouts etc.

Have a good day.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Stereotype much?? Boomer here. That isn't even vaguely close to describing me or anyone I know. I wonder if it's a regional thing? One thing for sure, we want to be active participants in our care. We aren't afraid to insist on explanations & tend to get very grumpy with condescending attitudes about "old people", whether it's from our auto mechanic or health care provider.

Health care in the US is evolving rapidly - mostly driven by ACA-mandated changes. Who knows what's going to happen now that the focus is on eliminating/reversing all of the last major legislation. At any rate, the main determinant of staffing in any setting will continue to be DEMAND, not supply.... The number of nurses caring for patients will be decided by how many nursing jobs are available. Shrinking labor budgets are triggering a return to "team nursing" and increased use of UAPs. That's the reality.

As I understand it, Katie in MI is an Eastern European immigrant -- some of her attitudes may have been shaped by her childhood or family members outside the US. So yes, it may be a regional thing. I've seen similar attitudes in colleagues who were raised outside the United States.

My friends from the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, Jamaica, the former Soviet Union, Korea, China, Vietnam and Germany think it's absolutely crazy that we seem to have the idea that everyone is entitled to everything healthcare can offer. I don't think they're entirely wrong. Replacing every joint or organ that wears out, LVADs and long term dialysis for someone terminally ill with something other than primary renal failure is going to bankrupt health care and it doesn't add quality to many of the lives it's extending.

But perhaps Katie didn't mean it as harshly as it sounded to some of us Boomers.

[Jules A, MSN]

Have a good day.

Ahhhhh my favorite part.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Wow. Talk about judgmental. Your post certainly is full of human kindness. Let's make sure we judge other peoples choices too. You are also paying for costly wars and for financial bail outs and your taxes cover lots of other things. Hopefully by the time you need a costly procedure paid for by Medicare you will have learned some humility.

Just to let you know - I already live with a costly, incurable, potentially deadly health condition. Yet, I do everything in my power and then some more in order not to end up like population I work with (a lot of chronic vents). For such case, I have my DNR order ready and signed if I end up on one for more than 72 hours. Otherwise, I know that people like me can live

well into their 70th - if they take extremely good care about themselves.

"Acceptance", "nonjudgement" and "humility" mean "accept the evil as inevitable; deal with results but do not touch the cause" no more than "DNR" means "do not treat". Wrong understanding of these most laudable things was quite a part of the whole bunch of problems which brought us all where we are now. Unfortunately, these ideas will soon have to be reviewed and partially let go, or America the Beautiful won't be able to carry that load within 30 or so years. It would be just economically impossible, and then the best outcome will be what we see in Great Britain and Australia right now. Again, it will be the BEST outcome possible.

And, yes, within the next 10 years the holy mantra of nursing "pain is what the patient says" will be gone as well. It has already killed almost more people than any other line in American history, believe it or not.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

There are more than enough nurses to adequately staff all of the facilities in the U.S. as I type this post. However, the bean counters at healthcare facilities would rather engage in short-staffing for reasons that would render this post lengthier than it already is.

which will discourage anyone from wanting to stay in this "profession" for too long. Buh bye experience.Hello perpetual revolving door.

Interesting that others are making the observation of more unlicensed personnel . I've been observing them being reduced where i am.

[Jules A, MSN]

My friends from the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, Jamaica, the former Soviet Union, Korea, China, Vietnam and Germany think it's absolutely crazy that we seem to have the idea that everyone is entitled to everything healthcare can offer. I don't think they're entirely wrong. Replacing every joint or organ that wears out, LVADs and long term dialysis for someone terminally ill with something other than primary renal failure is going to bankrupt health care and it doesn't add quality to many of the lives it's extending.

I agree with the above regardless of how it might be financed. I don't take pot-shots at less affluent because I grew up less affluent, many of my family members and almost all my patients are less affluent. Its about realistic expectations, imo, which includes accepting the natural aging process where systems fail and we eventually die, hopefully with much dignity and little discomfort.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

As I understand it, Katie in MI is an Eastern European immigrant -- some of her attitudes may have been shaped by her childhood or family members outside the US. So yes, it may be a regional thing. I've seen similar attitudes in colleagues who were raised outside the United States.

My friends from the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, Jamaica, the former Soviet Union, Korea, China, Vietnam and Germany think it's absolutely crazy that we seem to have the idea that everyone is entitled to everything healthcare can offer. I don't think they're entirely wrong. Replacing every joint or organ that wears out, LVADs and long term dialysis for someone terminally ill with something other than primary renal failure is going to bankrupt health care and it doesn't add quality to many of the lives it's extending.

But perhaps Katie didn't mean it as harshly as it sounded to some of us Boomers.

Thank you, Ruby Vee!

I actually meant it much softer than you wrote - I mentioned in my first post in this topic that, IMHO, it is ok to repair wear and tear as long as we do not speak about totally futile care or something that brings little benefits and much suffering. But I do teach people in no-nonsense words that dialysis doesn't mean they will live like before sans being hooked to that machine for a few hours. I also do teach about age-related changes being inevitable and non-repairable, and that there are things I can do for my patients and there are things only they can do for themselves.

And, yeah, I am quietly proud of my ability to take fibromyalgia patients off painkillers. Takes time and some pain, but well worths it.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Interesting that others are making the observation of more unlicensed personnel . I've been observing them being reduced where i am.

It is not about having even enough of them, it is about giving them functions which were before strictly within nursing scope of practice. Think about incredible fun of having someone with even no MA courses behind the belt passing pills on "breathing assistance" floor by g-tubes (chronic nonweanable vents, most of them with long list of ailments). Seriously saw midodrine and hydralazine given at the same time when HD came a few hours later than usual.

[Libby1987]

Who wants to sign up to figure how to stretch our entitlement dollars which, already at 25% of our spending, still isn't enough and will dwindle with both the uptick and the influx of utilizers.

I'm a people loving liberal boomer and I still appreciate Katie MI saying it straight up. Denial will only ensure our collapse before we can turn this giant around.

[Jules A, MSN]

I'm a people loving liberal boomer .

Lol, I'm picturing a T-shirt slogan. :)

[CarahallLPN]

KatieMI ... You nailed it