Editorial

Too many baby boomers have weight problems

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Huey Lewis and the News sang about it in 1986:

"I like my bands in business suits, I watch them on TV

"I'm working out most every day and watching what I eat

"They tell me that it's good for me, but I don't even care

"I know that it's crazy

"I know that it's nowhere

"But there is no denying that

"It's hip to be square"

And it is true that baby boomers like Lewis are smoking and drinking less, but they've got a long way to go when it comes to healthy living, a fact that will have grave consequences as that generation ages.

According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, 72 percent of older men and 67 percent of older women are now overweight or obese. Baby boomers started reaching age 65 in 2011, and according to the National Institutes of Health, many of them are in poor financial shape as well.

That's serious, because obesity causes complications like high blood pressure, diabetes and other health issues that can land a person in a nursing home, which cost an average of $83,585 a year for a private room in 2010.

Less than a fifth of older men and women have the financial resources to live in a home for more than three years -- and while Medicaid covers long-term care for qualified, low-income seniors, that funding is subject to other pressures.

That leaves care to unpaid family members -- who are fewer in number because of smaller families, higher divorce rates and disrupted family structures.

If you or your family members fall into the obese baby boomer category, you'll be doing yourself or them a favor by getting off the couch and encouraging an active lifestyle.

Hip to be square?

Yes, and it's a good idea to work on having square hips as well.

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