Centenarians, those rare few who live into the triple-digits, are becoming more and more common as good healthcare and healthy living gradually become part of our social fabric. Whereas before it was quite rare to hear about someone who made it all the way into a century of life, it’s becoming less and less rare.
One of the side-effects of the increased likelihood of many people living beyond 100 is the extended time that they spend in retirement and in elderhood. No longer can we plan on a definitive 15-20 years of retirement (for those who retire at 65). Instead, many of us will age much further than we are used to seeing in our society and in our healthcare system.
One of the issues that arises for this new paradigm of increased longevity is the increased financial cost and the importance of retirement and health planning. It’s no longer the case that we can rely on our pension plan, or Medicaid, or any of singular form of elder income. Instead, with our increased longevity, some more pressing questions come to mind. What type of life do we want to live as we enjoy our elder years? Do we want to be bedridden, suffering from minor health issues until they become more serious, or waiting nervously, as our savings dwindle away? These issues can be scary, but they are by no means hopeless.
One of the best things you can do as an elder person or as a friend or relative of an elder, is work with a geriatric care manager, like the care managers here at Senior Steps. Not only do our care managers focus on the overall picture of health and short-term health issues, but they provide long-term strategies to ensure that that elderhood is happy, healthy, and safe. Our goal as geriatric care managers is to provide the highest possible quality of life and happiness for all of our clients, and we work hand in hand with them, their families, and various business professionals to ensure the best possible outcome. Living to 100 isn’t so rare anymore, let us help you get there!