According to a 2007 UNR study Nevada remains the fastest-growing older population in the U.S. .

The bad news, said the study, is the state is facing "critical shortages" of medical professionals.

"The convergence of an overburdened health-care system, inadequate resources for seniors and the sheer number of aging baby boomers is setting the stage for an aging perfect storm to hit Nevada," said the study, titled Elders Count Nevada: Key Health Indicators for Nevada's Elders.

According to the study, between 1990-2000, Nevada's 65-and-older population grew 72 percent, while the number of residents 85 and older more than doubled.

From 2000-04, the state's 65-and-older population grew by nearly 20 percent - more than five times the national rate.

The growth of Nevada's elder population is only expected to accelerate as baby boomers reach retirement age. Seniors made up 11 percent of the Nevada's population in 2004, but are projected to become more than 18 percent by 2030.

The study predicted Nevada will remain number one in terms of senior population percentage growth until 2030 with an overall senior population growth of some 264 percent between 2000-30.

The problem is Nevada already ranks at or near the bottom of all states in terms of doctors, nurses and other health-care workers per capita the report said.

What's more, since 2005, Nevada has ranked last in the number of current medical school students per 100,000 population in the U.S.

Also in 2007 the CDC and the Merck Company Foundation ranked Nevada as the worst state in terms of smoking prevalence among older adults and its seniors are twice as likely as those in other states to be binge drinkers.