Celebrating the Older Americans Act:Four Snapshots, Three Lenses

Eric MeadeWhole Mind Strategy Group, LLC

www.wholemindstrategy.com@ericmeade

© Whole Mind Strategy Group, LLC

Celebrating the Older Americans Act

FOUR SNAPSHOTS

1915 % of pop. 65+ 4.48%

% of pop. 75+ 1.33%

life exp. at age 65 ~0

% of pop. on farms 32%

● Multi-generational households are the norm● Far more likely to die at home with family● Limited public support - e.g., benefit societies● “Someday all this will be yours”● 1912: Teddy Roosevelt proposes social

security

1965 % of pop. 65+ 9.50%

% of pop. 75+ 3.38%

life exp. at age 65 15

% of pop. on farms 7%

● Multi-generational households still the norm● 1960: Sun City opens● Social Security well established, but many

elderly facing medical bankruptcy● Scarce senior centers and community supports● 1965: Older Americans Act creates first formal

structure - a national aging network

2015 % of pop. 65+ 14.88%

% of pop. 75+ 6.30%

life exp. at age 65 20

% of pop. on farms 2%

● High cost of health care and long-term care● Struggling “sandwich generation”● Funding cuts, pressure on entitlements● After hitting a low (12.1%) around 1980, multi-

generational families on the rise again● Proliferation of technologies for older adults● Focus on “aging in place” (Village model)

2035 % of pop. 65+ 21.39%

% of pop. 75+ 11.09%

life exp. at age 65 35?

% of pop. on farms 2%

● New technologies for aging in place● Other tech: 3D printing, nanotech, self-driving

cars, holographic communications, “Internet of Things,” etc.

● Second round of health care reform complete● Family caregiving the “norm”● Boomers as dominant “older adult” cohort

Celebrating the Older Americans Act

THREE LENSES

Time

% o

f U.S

. pop

ulat

ion

age

65+

1915

2035

1965

2015

~25%

A Systems Lens: Completing the S-curve

Based on Carstensen, L. (2011), A Long Bright Future.

A Systems Lens: Redesigning the Life Course

Life Course 2.0

Life Course 1.0

Childhood

0 13 18 30 65 85

0 13 25 40 65 80 100

Adolescence

Young Adulthood

Productive Years

“Encore”

Retirement

A Systems Lens: Delinking Decline and Age

● If adulthood doesn’t even begin until 40, then why am I an “older adult” at 50?

● Growing economic disparities● Focus on “social determinants of health”● Pressure for entitlement reform (means-testing)● Administration on Aging is now the Administration

for Community Living

Conclusion: It’s not about “aging” anymore. It’s about vulnerability (including disabilities) across the life course, and helping people adjust to large-scale change.

A Generational Lens

Four archetypes:● “Hero” (G.I.)● “Artist” (Silent)● “Prophet” (Boomer)● “Nomad” (Gen X)

Key points:● OAA was passed by G.I.s● G.I.s were the first “Heroes”

since Jefferson and Madison● Millennials are “Heroes” too ⇒

great things to come!

Based on Strauss, W., and Howe, N. (1992). Generations.

Scenario 1:

A Haven in the Suburbs

Scenario 3:

A Village on a Cloud

Scenario 2:

Aging in a Hard Place

Scenario 4:

Keepers of the Meaning

A Scenario Lens: Accounting for Uncertainty

Based on Planning for the Growth of the Older Adult Population in Howard County: A Framework for Becoming an Age-Friendly Community, Howard County (Maryland) Department of Citizen Services, 2015. See www.howardcountymd.gov/agingmasterplan.

A Scenario Lens: Accounting for Uncertainty

● Will communications technology bring us together or keep us apart?

● Will retired Boomers serve society or serve themselves?

● Will our political system reform (or transform) to effectively address our shared challenges?

● Will funding for older adults keep pace with demand?

● Will social isolation among older adults become the social ill we can “wait out”?

● Will change happen fast enough?

Celebrating the Older Americans Act

IMPLICATIONS FOR AREA AGENCIES ON AGING

Implications for Area Agencies on Aging

● The OAA is an important historical artifact.● AAAs will be critical nodes on the future aging

network.● There will be new nodes on that network (e.g.,

libraries, health systems, private sector).● It’s not about aging; it’s about the vulnerable

elderly, and helping people adapt to change.● Old ways of operating no longer sufficient.● Very different landscape for older adults 20 years

from now, with new opportunities and challenges.

Eric MeadeWhole Mind Strategy Group, LLCwww.wholemindstrategy.comeric@wholemindstrategy.com571-201-5379

THANK YOU!