This writer says: Aging isn't about old people; it's about
all of us
By Jeff
RubinAuthor, 'Wisdom of Age' January 14, 2020
For many of us, denial plays a key role in how
we view aging.
While this is significant in its own right, it
becomes even more telling when viewed from the standpoint of a recent Next
Avenue article by Paul Hogan, chairman and co-founder of Home Instead Senior Care,
in which he poses the question: Why there are so few foundation dollars (less than 1%) dedicated to
causes related to older adults?
We are an aging society with more people over the
age of 60 than under the age of 5. People are living longer. Age 85+ is the
fastest growing age group. If we fail to address the issues impacting the
quality of our lives as we age, millions of older adults will eventually become
economically disadvantaged or destitute.
Many of us aren’t aware of the unprecedented
demographic shift that has taken place.
To perceive the obvious evidence, you needn’t
look any further than older Americans’ rising housing costs and health care
bills, inadequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, diminished
savings and limited opportunities for work.
4 Reasons We Are in
Denial About Aging
So why are we in denial about aging? Here are
four reasons:
1.
Many
people view older Americans as a burden, while children are perceived as an
investment.
2.
A
pervasive attitude that many older adults are responsible for the position
they’re in simply because they didn’t save enough or work hard enough in their
younger years
3.
We’ve
been conditioned to believe that government takes care of our elders.
4.
Many
of us aren’t aware of the unprecedented demographic shift that has taken place.
I would conclude that all of these rationales
are valid. After all, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. 40% of
workers have saved less than $25,000 for retirement. And a Harvard study has
found that older people are skimping on necessities, such as food, transportation
and medical care, to keep themselves housed.
I would further suggest that denial,
particularly self-denial, is relevant to any discussion of why few
social-responsibility dollars are dedicated to causes related to the elderly.
It is reasonable to assume that if people are in
denial about their own aging, then some of those same individuals representing
foundations, businesses, governmental agencies and other institutions may also
be denying the obvious professionally.
The Global Silver
Economy Forum’s Findings
That contention was echoed at the July 2019
Global Silver Economy Forum in Helsinki, Finland. This two-day
conference connected dignitaries and leaders from 50 countries to explore the
global issues and opportunities of aging as they relate to the longevity
revolution, and to the 1 billion+ people age 60 and older.
Among the findings there:
·
The biggest mistake we
can make regarding aging is seeing aging as a problem.
·
Every business needs an
aging strategy.
·
Government should create
policies that enable the aging ecosystem.
·
20th century
thinking cannot be applied to solve 21st century problems.
If we are to navigate the course of aging in
America today, each of us must think and behave differently, become catalysts for
action and become thought leaders for positive change.
Maybe the better question to ask is not why,
but “How are we planning for our own and our society’s aging?”
Aging after all, is not about old people. It’s
about the future of all of us.
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