Baby Boom Research Paper

There are important implications of this sea change in patient involvement in health care among baby boomers reaching old age.

There are important implications of this sea change in patient involvement in health care among baby boomers reaching old age.Physicians must now be prepared to interact with older patients in the same way they interact with younger patients, engaging in a more egalitarian dialogue and involving patients more earnestly in decision making.

Tags: Paul Theroux EssaysSmoking Persuasive EssaysEssays On Judicial ReviewResearch Proposal Samples PdfCommunity Service Term PapersCitation In An EssayEssay Character Analysis Kill Mockingbird

Older patients of the present and future expect to live more active lives and seek to remain socially engaged, even as they manage chronic illnesses or rehabilitation from disabling health conditions.

This generation of self-determining patients is likely to question established principles of medical care, demanding greater attention to their own definitions of health-related quality of life [13].

This is a fundamental move away from the traditional positivistic medical outcome criteria in the direction of “the new subjective medicine” that recognizes and seeks to enhance subjective criteria for health outcomes [14].

Recognition by physicians of the importance of patient values, expectations, and subjective appraisals of health and quality of life can facilitate better communication and shared decision making.

Detailed information on how Wiley uses cookies can be found in our Privacy Policy.

In the early 2010s, the first cadre of baby boomers, born after World War II, turned 65, making them officially senior citizens, and many more are joining their ranks every day.

Baby boomers are different from the generations that preceded them; they are more savvy, assertive, health-conscious, and engaged in their care [2, 3].

Even recently, the literature of medical sociology has portrayed older adults as reluctant to speak up to their doctors and passive in communicating about their health care [4, 5].

Baby boomers are among the most avid consumers of health information and approach their health care providers with far greater initiative and than did older adults of yesteryear [9].

Baby boomers value and pursue social engagement and healthy lifestyle behaviors and have high expectations for wellness and independence in late life [10].