The Sacramento Business Journal has launched a three-part series about aging in America, and the inaugural article paints a troubling picture of a nation that is medically and economically ill-prepared to deal with the challenges posed by an aging boomer generation.

The article draws on a study by the McKinsey Global Institute (“Talkin’ ‘bout my generation: The economic impact of aging U.S. Baby Boomers,” June 2008) to report that more than one-fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 or older by 2030, and points out that aging boomers “will be the largest and wealthiest over-50 consumer group in U.S. history,” accounting for up to 40 percent of U.S. spending by 2015 “and a disproportionate share of consumption.”

But research shows that boomers have spent more and saved less than previous generations, and their arrival at retirement age comes at a time when Medicare and Social Security are facing insolvency much earlier than previously anticipated, as stated in a new government report released last week (“Alarm Sounded on Social Security; Report Also Warns of Medicare Collapse,” The Washington Post, May 13).

One of the most productive responses to this convergence of factors, the Journal reports, will be for health care providers to embrace the concept of consumer choice and transform themselves accordingly.

The article highlights Eskaton, a senior services company based out of Carmichael, California, as a success story in this regard. Eskaton “started with hospitals and low-income family housing but switched gears to provide a broad range of housing, community services and health care for older adults.” Last October the company unveiled a demonstration home “with dozens of features to help residents age comfortably in their own homes.”

Future stories in the Sacramento Business Journal series will look at health care, seniors’ spending habits, and the future evolution of houses and vehicles where seniors will age.