I was born March 29, 1961. A Baby Boomer was born between 1946-1964. That would be me.
From Census.gov on December 10, 2019:
“Older adults are projected to outnumber children under age 18 for the first time in U.S. history by 2034, according to Census Bureau projections.
‘The mismatch between old and young will have implications across the coming years,’ said Dr. Grace Whiting, president and CEO of the National Alliance of Caregivers.
‘We aren’t having enough children to take care of us in our old age,’ she said. ‘Look at my family: my in-law was one of six children, my husband and I were one of two, and we don’t have kids. Extrapolate that out, and that’s what’s happening nationwide.'”
Boomer Remover
“So, the younger generations have taken to calling the Coronavirus the ‘Boomer Remover,’ helping resolve the issues of taking care of all those elderly people that are stepping into old age, 10,000 a day.
“Boomer Remover has since become a battleground for generational warfare on social media, frequently couched as a natural consequence of how the Baby Boomer generation has treated the planet or approached politics—either an unfortunate outgrowth of the more conservative brand of politics suggested by Baby Boomer voting demographics relative to Millennials and Generation Z, or a deserved comeuppance for damage done to the environment and/or social fabric. In response, Boomers and Boomer defenders have used the trending term to decry young people’s alleged dependency.”
While I find it sad the term “Boomer Remover” is being used as we die off from COVID-19, the generations after us will definitely have far less of a burden dealing with us old folks.
“The 2030 Problem”
Even the National Institutes of Health calls it the “2030 Problem.” This study begins:
“A series of analyses are used to consider the challenges related to caring for elders in the year 2030: measures of macroeconomic burden are developed and analyzed, the literatures on trends in disability, payment approaches for long-term care, healthy aging, and cultural views of aging are analyzed and synthesized, and simulations of future income and assets patterns of the Baby Boom generation are developed.”
Of course the younger generation sees us as a “burden” (this study uses this word often) if even the government does!
I have had my own YouCanGoHereYouCanGoThere with my kids as we talked about my older years. While they will miss me terribly, I am glad I will not be a burden on them as I become even more disabled and ill.
The last thing I want is to be is a burden.
Navelgazing Writer 