In general, Maine ’s population of seniors is increasing, esp. along Maine ’s ‘Gold Coast’, that mythical strip along the coast, from York to Machias, about 10 miles deep.  Indeed, the fastest growing counties have been those along the Coast. Brunswick has already converted the old Regional Hospital into a senior health center, while within the immediate area are nursing care facilities and a hospice.

This should sound alarm bells because of demands it will put on various sectors of the health care system:  Americans over 50 are living longer, but are more likely to be overweight, endure multiple chronic health conditions and depend more on prescription drugs, a study by AARP has found.   The report sheds more light on the medical conditions of the often-overlooked 50-64 age group -- old enough to have significant medical needs, but too young to qualify for Medicare.
   o   Of the 41 million Americans in that age group in 1999, 5.6 million, or 14 percent, were uninsured. 
   o   Some 27 percent of the group were obese -- up from 14 percent in 1982.
   o   Obesity is often a forerunner of such conditions as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease as the
       group ages.
   o   Health-care expenditures among this 50-64 age group climbed on average from $2,009 in 1977 to $2,930 in 1996.
People reaching age 50 today can expect to live another 30 years on average. Heart disease and cancer have remained among the
leading causes of death among people 50 and older for the last two decades. Officials at AARP -- which previously was known as the American Association of Retired Persons -- say one of the purposes of the report is to increase public funding to cover the uninsured, prescription drugs and long-term care of the elderly.
Source: Melody Simmons, " U.S. Adults Live Longer -- With Chronic Illnesses, Less Coverage," Washington Post, May 21, 2002.

o        It is becoming more widely acknowledged that increasing longevity doubles health care costs and that a large portion of health care expenses come in the last year or two of life. Anyone who has lived with the expensive, but largely futile, efforts to extend the life of a loved one a few more months knows all to well the enormous costs incurred. Most would say ‘it is worth the cost’, but  as family members spar their  parents heroic  life  support efforts, these cumulative efforts will see their way into public policy  debates as humane and reasonable restrictions on the resources  committed to  keeping someone alive a few more weeks or months.

o        White male seniors are the population of greatest risk, but are not being targeted with either money or funding, especially those addicted to tobacco. In unpublished surveys, self-employed males are  often uninsured or self-pay; while their wives are employed where they have a partially sponsored insurance plan.