Editorial: Planning for the future

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

A report released Wednesday says many communities just aren't ready for America's Baby Boomers to get old.

Baby Boomers - people born from 1946 through 1964 - make up about a quarter of the overall U.S. population. By 2020 their ages will be 56 to 74. And many of the nation's communities don't have plans for offering enough of the types of services that will be needed, such as affordable housing, health care, exercise programs and job training, according to "Maturing of America - Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population."

The report was released Wednesday by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, a nonprofit group based in Washington.

Most communities lack adequate health screenings and education and need better counseling for prescription drugs, nutrition and exercise, the report says. Transportation systems must be more accessible to pedestrians and transit users, in anticipation of a growing population of people who do not drive. Communities also need central offices where people may learn what services are available and apply for them.

This report is, as one expert told the Associated Press, "a wake-up call." From better coordination among agencies to rethinking the design of sprawling, miles-from-anywhere developments to lawmakers' funding priorities, there is a lot of work to do and not much time in which to do it.

Individuals have a responsibility, too. According to a recent story by Bloomberg News, the American Academy of Family Physicians says that the nation will need about 40,000 more family practice doctors to keep up with the increasing number of seniors.

And that's where individual choices on the part of Baby Boomers will matter. This generation is probably more informed than any other about the health risks of activities such as smoking and the benefits of a balanced diet and regular exercise. Making the right choices daily will go a long way toward Baby Boomers remaining independent and healthy, even when facing the inevitable.