Description

As baby boomers mature, and face major life changes like retirement, many don’t plan on slowing down their lifestyle. In fact, they’re seizing the opportunity to become more active on the dating scene and some are even getting the tattoos or piercings they’ve always wanted.

Transcript

Hepatitis Dangers for Baby Boomers Host: As baby boomers mature and face major life changes like retirement, many don’t plan on slowing down their lifestyle. A recent survey of Canadian boomers found that more than half are feeling freer year than every before. Many boomers are seizing the opportunity to become more active on a dating scene. Some are even getting the tattoos or piercings they’ve always wanted. Agreeing this is current trend is boomer expert David Cravit. He is the Executive Vice President of Zoomer Media and author of The New Old, a book detailing the boomer generations evolution. David Cravit: It’s a mistake to say that boomers are just grabbing some behaviors from when they were young. What they're doing is redefining how you can behave now. They’re saying engagement, new career, education, not retiring, discovering, including sexuality is the way you can act now in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and watch would happens when they live into their 80s and 90s. They’re saying this is the new norm. This is the way you can behave at this age and that’s what makes it so profound. Host: Unfortunately, when it comes to safe sex, many boomers aren’t always practicing what they preach to their kids. In fact, nearly a third of unmarried boomers admit to having unprotected sex with a new partner since turning 40. And one in five boomers don’t use condoms as much as they use to since pregnancy is less of a concern for them. While boomers can and should be enjoying their freedom, Dr. Eric Yoshida, chairman of the Canadian Liver Foundations Medical Advisory Committee says it’s important to do so safely. Eric Yoshida: I think boomers should be concerned about Hepatitis B. The reality is that some boomers may be having sexual intercourse that is unprotected. Then, that is a leading cause of Hepatitis B transmission in North America and Europe and just because you’re older it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have natural immunity. Like most things, you have to take precautions, safe sex and get immunized. Host: What’s concerning his more than half of boomers say they’re worried about contracting sexually transmitted infections. And among those who are HIV, herpes and syphilis were the top three diseases that concern them. While hepatitis B ranks much lower on the list. Eric Yoshida: Adults who have never been exposed to the virus before which is the majority of this country usually acquire it through sexual transmission or transmission of bodily fluids. And they can acquire hepatitis where there are venereal and it seem to come proportion of those will have a liver failure requiring consideration for a liver transplantation or even premature in mortality. Host: Dr. Yoshida notes that Canadian should also be aware of other types of hepatitis. Hepatitis C is also transmitted via blood and can be contracted through unsterilized equipment, and hepatitis A is contracted by consuming, contaminated food or drink. All forms of hepatitis have serious consequences such as jaundice, extreme fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, and death. Hepatitis B in particular is the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide. Fortunately, vaccines are available to protect against both hepatitis A and B. There is no vaccine against hepatitis C. To learn more about the different forms of hepatitis, how to protect yourself and your family, and how to help others living with hepatitis, visit the Canadian Liver Foundations website at liver.ca.