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Changing demographics
Nearly two million letters were sent to Georgians in the month of January, and and another million followed that by the beginning of February on a "pilot program" initiated by the federal government and offices of Health and Human Services letting people know that, in short, it is going to be the responsibility of people 45-65 and older, and really, everybody, to purchase programs for their own longterm care. Georgia is one of the states that met the requirements that any state could have applied for, to help get this message out to as many people as possible. Changing a belief system for Americans who always thought federal programs would help take care of them in their aging years is like turning the Titanic, in a way. Suddenly, Americans are being told relative to many worldwide dilemmas, that there is a need to shift consciousness and act quickly to take care of their lives and their world. Information through this state, the states of Texas, Michigan, Nebraska, and South Dakota - all of whom applied for grants from the federal government to join in the LongTerm Care Planning activities to help the people of their states, is available through a toll-free number, 866-PLANLTC (800-669-8387). The Governor of Texas tells his constituents, "we are working to ensure that all (people) ages with dignity, independence, and opportunities to contribute to society." Having a long-term care policy now, is one of the way you can help insure that for you and for your family.(paraphrased). The brochure that came with the Governor's letter lets people order a kit for more information. In Georgia, from the first letter alone, the return rate was nearly nine percent. Typically, return on direct mail campaigns is less than 5 percent. The federal government has borrowed from the Social Security, Medicare and Medicare funds over the years, and will continue to do so, with the proposed federal budget asking for $78 million more from Medicaid. Along with the additional burden of the baby boomer generation starting to retire this year, meaning that over the next decade 78 million people will be drawing from the Medicare and Medicaid funds, it is becoming an imperative for Americans to be finding and initiating long-term care funding for themselves, either through their own existing insurers or through Genworth, suggested by the Governor's and federal Health and Human Services offices. According to the national census in the year 2000, 9.6 percent of Georgians were over age 65. Present figures are not readily available but what is known is that of the 87,000 baby boomers retiring in the next decade, Georgia will likely house their fair share of at least 1.07 million people. Georgia's present population is nearly seven million. Long-term care is just one aspect of the federal and state Health and Human Services office's activities to help people in their retirement years, and this column will address those activities in the next installment. The second letter from Governor Perdue tells people that there is also available an audio CD with stories of people who have successfully and effectively planned for the long-term care needs, "to help you plan for your financial, housing and health care needs as you age." The State of Georgia offers programs and information such as the Georgia Department of Human Resources Divine of Aging Services and states 12 Area Agencies on Aging. The hotline for this information is 1-800-669-8387. For national information about long-term care, visit www.longterm care.gov. As the nation ages, and the demographics change in our area and every area of the United States, citizens will need to make informed decisions on how they, too, can age with dignity, independence, and opportunities to contribute to society. |
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