The economic, political and social systems in the U.S. all assume that older people will retire and need care. Some people think this is an increasingly outdated model that will not be needed in the future.
On average Americans are living longer and longer. Our expected life spans keep increasing. For some people this is the sign of a looming crisis. Studies suggest that the people who are living longer are not any healthier during those years. That means more resources will have to be spent caring for them.
Not everyone agrees with this view, however, as Nautilus discusses in “Retiring Retirement.”
Other people believe we are on the verge of many scientific and medical breakthroughs that will have older Americans not only living longer, but living much healthier. In fact, many older Americans already are.
Under this view, older Americans will no longer have to retire or go into nursing homes. Instead, they will be able to work if they want and will be able to take care of themselves in their own homes.
It is important to note that these anticipated breakthroughs have not happened yet and might not happen anytime soon. There have been many predictions of pending developments in all areas of life.
Despite a universal belief in the 1950s that in the near future people would have their own flying cars and personal jetpacks, we all know those predictions did not come true. Thus, for now, people should probably still plan for retirement and how they will be taken care of in their elder years.
Reference: Nautilus (May 26, 2016) “Retiring Retirement.”