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Retirement brings along its own set of challenges
Horror stories often arise out of nursing home back hallways.
Abused, neglected or simply not taken care of -- due to lack of manpower -- seniors are often not living properly in or out of nursing facilities.
The Greatest Generation is currently living in less than stellar conditions around Clarke County.
Senior citizens are taking the brunt of what is a fast growing problem: bankruptcy.
According to the latest Census Bureau survey taken in 2005, 6.6 percent of the county is living in poverty.
"[Seniors] can't pay for their basic needs, let alone any luxuries they consume," said Anna Hammond, managing attorney at Blue Ridge Legal Services.
Seniors often find themselves in debt beyond their means.
Women are the most frequent victims. Either their husband, who is often the bread winner, leaves or passes away, or they lose their job.
Life, unfortunately, often turns seniors into victims of circumstance.
While efforts are being made, baby boomers are next in line to what could be termed "The Neglected Generation."
The question then becomes not how does it happen, but why.
Not calculating inflation into retirement savings could be an answer.
Rick Brown, vice president of Patriot Financial Services has another reason.
He attributes high levels of poverty to high gas prices.
"You spend [up to] $5,000 in gas a year," said Brown. "That's four times as much as it has been in past years, and you can't write that off."
Although gas prices are soaring, which in turn raises the price of just about everything from groceries to health care, wages aren't increasing to compensate.
That's where money and savings account funds come into play.
The Greatest Generation was fine living without a credit or debit card, Dr. Alan McKay, Dean of Shenandoah University Pharmacy school, said at a United Way luncheon in Winchester last week.
More importantly, they knew the value of the dollar.
Future generations will be plagued by debt caused by interest rates on credit cards.
"My generation never saw a dollar they couldn't spend," McKay said.
Although they aren't effected by credit problems, many senior citizens suffered from lack of funds.
Some would disagree to the methods, but the moral of the story is that contributions to personal savings accounts need to start earlier.
With retirement years just around the corner, America's largest generation numbers-wise is closing in on the same lifestyle as their parents.
By 2010, 2,542 residents of Clarke County will be over the age of 65, according to a National Health Expenditures Survey.
That number is steadily increasing, and the problem of how to take care of them won't dissipate anytime soon.
Life expectancies have jumped into the 80 and 90 range.
Social Security was meant to be a supplement, but with people living longer, it's become the only means of income.
The biggest fear is overwhelmingly running out of money. There needs to be a constant saving effort, no matter what it takes, that adds up to more in the future.
The older the population grows, the more care they are going to need.
Ninety percent of seniors enrolled in Medicare are living in the community. While independently living, there is an increasing demand for in home health care.
For some, this is easy. Family and friends stop by and lend a helping hand when needed.
Today's seniors had more kids, fewer divorces, and they didn't move households as much. Thus, they were better able to network for care support.
Baby boomers, on the other hand, will have less of a support network to rely on.
"When they need someone to care for them, no one's there," McKay said.
McKay attributes this to a generational shift.
Baby boomers didn't like what the saw when their parents entered health care facilities.
They don't want that for their futures.
Still, seniors who are independent should be valued for their opinions.
"We want them to be that way as long as possible and that's our responsibility as health care providers," he said.
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