Nursing in 2021 Over the next decade, and for years to come afterwards, the expected growth in the older adult population will have a significant impact on the healthcare system. The baby boom generation, individuals born between 1946 and 1964, began turning 65 in 2011. By 2020 the number of Americans age 65 and older is expected to rise to 54 million. Furthermore, as a result of better nutrition, safety and health care the number of individuals who reach the age of 85 or older will grow even more dramatically ("The Impact of Aging Population on the Health Workforce in the United States," 2006).

This will precipitate a greater demand for health care in general and will also affect the nature of the skills and services the health care workforce must be equipped to provide, and the settings in which this care is provided. As a person ages, their immune system weakens, organs begin to deteriorate and the body becomes susceptible to a variety of diseases. Common illnesses among the elderly include Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, heart...

Shortages of physicians will mean more reliance on others to deliver care such as nurse practitioners and physician's assistants for primary care, social workers and psychologists for mental health care, and optometrists for vision care. Physicians will need to change their attitudes toward these providers by involving them and embracing their value. Simultaneously, educational requirements can be expected to increase as well. Currently, there are more than 167,000 nurse practitioners in the United States, an increase from 141,209 in 2004 and 158,348 in 2008 (ACNP, 2010).
The Human Genome Project will give scientists new insights on how humans function and how their deficiencies can be cured. In the near future stem cell and genetically engineered cures will become widespread. Cancers, auto-immune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, corneal…