Baby boomers are aging and there is likely to be a huge demand for medical professionals who can take care of the elderly. The demand for medical personal who serve the seniors can be gauged from the fact that there will be more than 70 million people who are over 65 by 2030. Many universities are witnessing a huge demand for students who have done a course in gerontology.

Reason for Rise in Demand

According to the statistics released by Social Security Administration, about 10,000 people turn 65 each day in America. The aging population in America will need nurses, physicians, psychiatrist and many other healthcare professionals who can take care of the unique healthcare requirements of the aged.

Another reason for rise in demand for these healthcare professionals is that many students are not willing to take a course in gerontology. Research has revealed that only 9 universities in US offer doctorate program in gerontology and many of these programs are not filing up. Also, less than 1 percent of the family medicine and internal medicine residents opt for geriatrics. This lack of interest is like to create a huge demand for geriatricians who are physicians who specialize in taking care of the elderly.

Many students don’t opt for a course in gerontology is because of demanding work conditions and low pay. In a recent study, it was found geriatricians earn less than half of what physicians with other specialities earn. One of the reasons why geriatricians earn less is because seniors usually rely on Medicare to reimburse their medical bills. The reimbursements received from Medicare are lower than the reimbursement received from private insurance companies. Also, many people who work in this field don’t receive employment benefits or health insurance which prevents them from taking this job.

Dealing with the Problem

To deal with the problem efforts must be made to increase the incentive received by gerontologist and increase the perception that people have towards aging adults. University must offer incentives like fellowships and scholarships to students opting for a course in gerontology.

Overcoming the phobia of working with the elderly is another problem that needs to be addressed. This phobia is growing because older people and young generation don’t get time to interact with each other. This phobia can be reduced by increasing the interaction between the young and the old.

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