I think the problem will "address" itself as a large population of qualified programmers ages, and the total numbers of programmers stabilize. This field has experienced explosive growth over the past couple of decades, and that growth was mostly fueled by the young people, so it's no wonder the industry is geared towards them.
Disclosure: I'm in my mid-40s, self employed, but no shortage of clients.
Disclosure: I'm in my mid-40s, self employed, but no shortage of clients.